In 1994 it looked like Hush Puppies Shoes were a thing of the past. Only 30,000 pairs sold annually, mostly to out of the way outlets and small town family stores. The Company executives were ready to discontinue the line after almost 30 years of production.

But then something happened.

 

A small group of young friends in New York City decided to wear them. Not because they were cool, not to promote them but simply because they were SO unfashionable NO ONE else would wear them.

 

No ad campaigns were bought, no billboards went up but this group of friends wore the shoes to pubs, clubs and anywhere else they were going. Word of mouth did the rest.

In 1995, they sold 430,000 pairs.

 

Fashion Designers wanted to use Hush Puppies in their upcoming fashion shows. A Los Angeles designer put a 25-foot Bassett-Hound on the roof of his Hollywood store and gutted an adjacent art gallery to turn it into a “Hush Puppy” boutique.

 

By the time 1996 had come to an end, Hush Puppies had sold 1,500,000 pairs of shoes.

A 5000% increase in sales in two years. Incredible.

 

It’s funny how the biggest difference can be made by a few small, seemingly irrelevant, changes.

Little causes with big effects.

 

Sometimes the Great Commission can seem too big to me. In fact the more I read it the bigger it gets, until I just feel lost. How can we ever do this?  ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them’.

 

All nations.

 

ALL!!

 

It’s just too much; I don’t even know where to start sometimes.

 

However, what if we were to make just a few small changes to our daily lives. A prayer in the morning. Five minutes with our attention on a Bible passage. Say hello to the neighbours. Tell a friend about your faith. Sing a song in praise of what God has done.

 

You never know where those small changes could lead you.

 

Little causes with big effects.