“Good Things Come in Small Packages”

I’ve heard this phrase for many years- that good things come in small packages. However, I have always thought this saying was very shallow. Since when have good things come in small packages? Outside of the ring on my wife’s ring finger, I can’t particularly think of hardly anything good that I have bought that has come in a small package.

While I don’t see the value in “small package” items, Jesus most certainly did and does. In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus says: “…“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” 

 Jesus reminds us that His kingdom doesn’t start with flashy power, wealth, or size. Instead, it began small. It started in hearts, in homes, and in quiet conversations so the authorities wouldn’t overhear. It grew in continuous faithful acts of obedience.

What looks insignificant to the world can grow into something that is eternally significant. That’s the beauty and the power of the Church: its strength isn’t found in its packaging but in the power of God working through it.

Think about how the gospel began. A baby born in Bethlehem, wrapped in cloths, laid in a manger. A handful of fishermen and a tax collector following a carpenter from Nazareth. Eleven men, frightened and unsure, charged with taking the good news to the ends of the earth. By the world’s standards, that was far too small to matter. Yet today, millions across the globe rest under the branches of this great kingdom.

Never underestimate what God can do with small beginnings. With Him, good things truly do come in small packages.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 13:31–32.