Start small with big stuff

Jesus, help me start small when new things confuse me! Amen.

Jesus and Mary went to a wedding where the guests drank all the wine. Knowing Jesus could help, Mary told Him, "They have no more wine." Jesus saw the jugs of water people used to wash up. "Have the waiter taste it," He said. The waiter did -- and said, "They've saved the best wine until now." The water had turned into wine!

Even good changes can be confusing for a kid. Maybe you got a toy you wanted for Christmas but haven't figured out how to use it yet; maybe your family finally got the pet (or little brother or sister) you've always hoped for; but now that you have them, you aren't sure what to do with them!

This week's Gospel (John 2:1-11) is about confusing changes. Jesus has grown up, and His mother, Mary, thinks He's ready to start doing miracles and teaching about God. Jesus, however, isn't sure!

When something new and good comes into your life, you want to start enjoying it right away. When the toy is frustrating, the pet is scared of you or the new baby is too small to play with yet, you wonder if those new things are really as great as you hoped.

The best thing to do is what Jesus did: Start small. Instead of starting His work on earth with a huge miracle or standing on a mountain yelling, "I'm the Son of God, so come listen to me," Jesus did a very small miracle: He turned water into wine. In a way, He was practicing for the bigger stuff to come.

You can start small with the good stuff in your life, too: Get a grownup to help you read the directions for the toy; sit still and let your new puppy come to you when he calms down; ask questions about your little brother or sister and listen to the answers.

Starting small can lead to even bigger, better things. For Jesus, just helping out at a wedding made people happy and gave Him confidence to start His work!