The Small and Simple Things

In the Old Testament, Naaman was the captain of a Syrian king’s army. He was also a leper.  He sought out how he could be cleansed from his leprosy and an Israelite maid told him to seek out the prophet Elisha.

"So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." (2 Kings 5:9-10)

Personally, if I had this horrible disease I would try anything that I could to get rid of it.  I found Naaman's response interesting:
 

"But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." (2 Kings 5:11-12)


Naaman thought that Elisha would just come out and heal him.  He also questioned the cleanliness of the Jordan river and wondered why he didn't have him wash in cleaner water.  How many times do we question what our leaders ask us to do?  I like the response one of his servants gives him.

"And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." (2 Kings 5:13-14)

Naaman was asked to do a simple task and his servant reminded him how easy it was.  How many of us want to do the big things, but skip over the little things?  In closing, I would like to share a scripture from the Book of Mormon that complements these verses from the Bible.

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." (Alma 37:6-7)

I testify that small and simple things bring to pass the greatest things.  How do we gain a bigger testimony in the Gospel?  We gain it by doing the small things: reading scriptures, praying, going to church.  It doesn't all come at once just like when Naaman had to dip himself seven times.  It takes diligence and motivation.  I know that if we do these simple things that we will be greatly blessed.


Small and Simple things