“Enlarge the space for your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly; lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2)

The Prophet Isaiah is suggesting that we should enlarge the tents of our lives and work.  Whether as individuals or as a group, we tend to get comfortable with familiar friends, familiar routines, familiar work, and even familiar forms of outreach.  Isaiah encourages us not to fall into the bed of comfort but rather move the walls of our tents to include people who are not a part of our normal social patterns, people who may not necessarily share our background, beliefs and values.

Much of the Christian ministry that I have been involved in over the years has been peer related — young people when I was young; business people when I was in business; people who were part of my social patterns at the time. 

A few years ago I started volunteering in a local jail ministry.  It challenged me.  I was not comfortable and felt that I was out of my element.  God calls us to faithfulness, often without the benefit of a report card or feedback.  It is our presence and love that he wants regardless of our view of the outcome.

Enlarging our tents can also include how we relate to one another — family, friends and strangers.  Pope Francis encouraged us to engage in “little gestures” of love.  “Love is shown by little things,” he said.  In an Alpha outreach program at our parish, when we pray with people to experience more of the Holy Spirit, we often hear about their desire to love more.  Loving more starts with “little gestures” of love.  As the King said in the Parable of the Talents, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.”  (Mt. 25:21)  

Loving more starts with the little things every day.  As loving in the little things becomes a habit, God increases our capacity to love and sacrifice in the larger things.  A habit of love in the little things will open the door to people familiar and unfamiliar, and enlarge our tents.

How can you enlarge your tent to love in the little things?