Category: Devotional Thoughts

National Geographic, Animal Planet, and Discovery Channel are my favorite TV channels. I enjoy learning while watching television. One of my favorite shows is Seconds From Disaster. This program investigates the sequence of events that led to some of the world’s worst accidents. Recently they covered the Titanic, the world’s most famous and tragic ship story.

There are many small details that led to Titanic disaster. One, however, stood out among the rest: rivets. Much of the Titanic’s hull was held together by steel rivets, pounded in place by a large machine. The riveting machine could not be used on the front of the ship, so they had to hammer them in manually. Because of this, they used rivets made of and iron/slag mixture. These iron rivets were easier to handle, but they were much weaker than steel. They quickly snapped when the Titanic hit a giant iceberg. The world’s largest ship sunk in part due to small pieces of metal—pieces that would fit in the palm of your hand.

I believe the iron rivets illustrate a life principle: “small things” can lead to major disasters.

The Bible warns of this in different places. The following warning appears in the Song of Solomon:

Catch all the foxes,
those little foxes,
before they ruin the vineyard of love,
for the grapevines are blossoming!
-Song of Solomon 2:15

This verse warns to guard against the small things that can ruin relationships. Simple, day-to-day actions can build or break down our connection with love ones.

This principle goes beyond romantic relationships. Paul wrote about the danger of “small things” using yeast as an analogy. He warned that one individual’s sin could affect the entire congregation (1st Corinthians 5:6). Paul and Jesus both used the yeast analogy to warn against false teaching. Jesus told his disciples to “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6). Paul gave a similar warning to the Galatians (Galatians 5:9). Just slight distortions of God’s truth can lead to legalism and false religions.

Let’s guard our relationships, our lives, and our beliefs against “small things.”

See also: Meditations on Mopping

. . . which is a little less mighty these days.

A dollar was worth about 52 pesos when I came here in 2002. If I remember correctly, the dollar strengthened to over 54 pesos within that first year or two that I was here.

Times have changed. The dollar has been weak, which hits me directly in the pocket (my support comes in dollars). A 5,000 peso withdrawal now costs me over 110 dollars (Compared to 100 or less a while back). Those extra dollars and costs have been adding up.

I guess I wouldn’t be writing about this if I saw that a relatively stronger peso was helping the Filipino people. Maybe it is helping, but I just don’t see it in my immediate surroundings. Since many of my friends are tied to the American economy, the weaker dollar is actually hurting them, too. I also don’t really see any decrease in prices. The only exception is a lower power bill, which is probably unrelated to the exchange rate.

Though life is a little more expensive, I really can’t complain. My supporters take great care of me, and the weak dollar really hasn’t greatly affected my life. If anything, I’ve been reminded of something Jesus said in one of his most famous sermons:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
-Matthew 6:19-21

Maybe today Jesus would warn us not to store treasures where “economies weaken and dollars depreciate.”

Yes, the dollar is weak, but God is still so good! There’s no use in worrying about something I can’t control. After all, it’s only money.