Small World?

by Trace Thurlby from Malawi

Decades ago, Disneyland’s famous ride entertained with the song “it’s a small world after all.” At the risk of getting pummeled by Disney devotees, are those profitable puppets right?

At times, it seems so. Like when one can go from KC to London to Uganda measured in hours, or as portrayed in the man I flew with today to Malawi. Ravi is from India, lives in Kenya, sells motorbikes made in China for a company in Dubai. Chalk one up for Walt, but is the world always small?

For a child fending for themselves or for a family who can’t afford school fees, the world and its problems seem very big. What about for your neighbor who just lost his job or found out her husband was cheating? Even surrounded by suburbian homes on a cul-de-sac, the world can feel isolating, overwhelmingly big.

Jesus isn’t wrestling with the big/small paradox. He commands us to love our neighbor. When we reach out in love, whether in Parkville, Missouri, or Pothawira, Malawi, God moves. He writes stories drawing us together, giving us a glimpse of the way things should be and will be. It can be a small world afterall.