“There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever. . . lizards—you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.” Proverbs 30:24 & 28
On a trip to the Big Island we found a Gold Dust Gecko on the sarong rack in the Island Gourmet Market in Queens MarketPlace, Waikoloa. When I showed it to a clerk, she was visibly frightened, so I carried the gecko outside. It jumped to my shoulder and then climbed up under my hair. My husband then helped me set it free.
Geckos are not native to Hawaii. Most arrived as stowaways. The Gold Dust Day Gecko, however, was illegally smuggled in and released. The entire Hawaiian population stems from only eight lizards a University of Hawaii student released in 1974. Today they are the most common gecko in Hawaii.
The story of the geckos in Hawaii reminds me of the verse from Acts that says, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come [to Thessalonica] too!” (Acts 17:6) The men referred to here are Paul and Silas—just two men. Like the illegality of smuggling geckos into Hawaii, the message Paul and Silas preached was not welcomed in Thessalonica. In fact, a riot ensued, and they were taken by the authorities. However, because of their preaching and teaching, Christianity represents 93% of the total population of Thessaloniki today!
We do not know how far-reaching, how life-changing, our witness for Jesus will be. In the moment it may seem to us like a small effort with little effect, often disregarded or argued against, Miraculously, however, God can use our “little bit” to influence not just one person, but a family, a neighborhood, a community—perhaps even a city like Thessaloniki!
God’s Word works like the gecko explosion in Hawaii. It starts with just a few and spreads far and wide. Today, let’s offer the good news of salvation through Jesus to those in our little sphere of influence. Only God knows the changes He will bring about as it multiplies!
Be encouraged!
©2022 Pamela D. Williams
