Focusing on the 'little' acts of love

I'll admit it: I've been running from who I am out of fear of mediocrity. I've been so afraid of living an average life, of having a future no one looks at and says, "Wow, that is so cool. I want my life to be like that." My fixation on making big, crazy plans in my life to ensure I don't live a "normal" life has left me discontent, distracted from the very thing I've been longing to do: serve and love others.

Lately I've been struck by the simple things, the acts of love that are easy to pass by. My mom, giving herself to our family in love, packing lunches even when she doesn't feel like cooking, talking on the phone with me even when it interrupts the flow of her own schedule.

My grandma, raising five boys, cooking, farming, loving God all her life and showing that love through her acceptance of people, helping them in tangible ways when they need it, sharing her wisdom and love with me.

The ladies at my church who spend backbreaking hours in their gardens and then give their produce away, who smile at me and touch my arm in greeting when I'm home from college.

This love is humble, beautiful and holy, and I want to be like these women who know how to love in ways that might not ever win public attention, yet who choose to make a difference right where they are, with the people they're around. This love is challenging and pure because it's a continual choice to keep loving when no credit is given.

As I've been trying to live gratefully, I've realized how freeing it is. Gratitude frees me to live the gifts I've been given, because I believe they are enough. It frees me to be truly present to the people I'm with and appreciate them for who they are, because I believe they are enough. It frees me to love the place I'm in, however mundane it may seem, because I believe I can make a difference here, that I'm in this place for a reason, that there are people in it who need to see Christ's love in a way only I can show.

I'm the only me, a unique part of Jesus' body. No one else can say, think or do the exact things I do. If I'm not saying or acting out what's on my heart, no one else is going to. I've been placed in certain places with certain people for a reason; they need me present with them to contribute myself, and I need to learn from them, so we can help each other on this road to holiness.

I love how 1 Peter 5:2 says it: " ... Be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly." (TEV)

Life opens up with gratitude, making me think that maybe the "little" acts of love are the big ones that really matter.

Mia Pohlman is a Perryville, Mo., native studying at Truman State University. She loves performing, God and the color purple -- not necessarily in that order.