Sweat the Small Stuff

Today was hard.

I was awakened this morning at 3:45 by the clack of my Great Dane's nails. Before I could decide what to do, I smelled the familiar smell of poop.

To my sadness, I found diarrhea all over my couch and the covers. And I stood there for a moment mentally flipping through all of my options.

Eventually, after a huff and an internal tear, I worked out my strategy and got to work.

After an hour of shampooing and getting the covers in the washer, Chris got up for work. We shared our morning kisses and giggles, and he set out for his day.

As I moved on to laundry, the machine stopped working and it was full of water. Poop water. And I didn’t know how to fix it.

I had choices to make today.

What is the impact I want to have on my husband, my day, and my own emotions? And what were those choices?

Anger, frustration, complaint, passing the work off, defeat, self-pity.

Or…

Calm, patience, faith, perseverance, curiosity, work, confidence, gratitude.

I CHOSE the latter. And it was definitely a choice. I was certainly tempted with all the 1st options. But as I stopped and thought about all the blessings wrapped up in this calamity (a couch, a couch cleaner, dog, washer and dryer, the physical strength to clean, a home, life and breath in my lungs), I couldn’t help but press on with purpose.

I am determined to be joyful in this precious short life God has given to me. I am determined to reflect nothing but gratitude for that gift and have a positive impact on this world to bring glory to my Savior.

Although there is a temptation to feel that these things are major, worthy of great distress, in the scheme of life and eternity, these things are minor. But they do matter. They are worth sweating. They matter because they are practice. God allows days like this where everything seems to go wrong and the limits of my emotions are pressed so that when the really heavy stuff comes, I am more prepared.

The little things do matter. Not in a sense that they are such a big deal and an excuse for me to lose it, but in the sense that they matter to God. And how I choose to see them and respond to them matters.

I could have been so ugly when Chris got up and sent him out the door worried or even upset. I could have decided defeat and waited for Chris to get home to fix the washer, leaving more work for him after a 10-hour day. I could have stewed and found every reason why this isn’t fair. And you know what? I would have been miserable in my crappy emotions and disappointed in myself for who I had chosen to be. Even further, I have no idea the impact that Chris has on his world in response to either my ugliness or gentleness. I am not responsible for him, but I am responsible for my impact on him.

Ultimately, I figured it out, took care of the mess, and felt so full of strength, confidence, and joy at the end of the day. I was proud and felt capable for putting in the effort to learn something new. I was so confident in myself for reflecting love and kindness to my husband and dealing with my own difficult emotions for myself. I was filled with joy that at the end of the day I brought God glory. Not to my feelings, not to my flesh, and not to my own weakness.

The small things matter. Your perspective of them makes all the difference as to WHY they matter.

Are you looking for an excuse to react or looking for opportunities to make the right choice? Are you waiting for an outlet for all the emotions and thoughts you refuse to deal with or are you taking responsibility for your emotions and perspectives? Are you entitled and offended by trials or is your heart humble and grateful for all that your life can hold and teach you?

No one is responsible for my joy. No one is responsible for my perspective. No one is responsible for my choices.No one is responsible for my impact.

No one that is but me.

I have impact, whether I choose it or not. It isn’t something I step into. It’s a characteristic that God has woven into “being alive”.

What we choose, what we do, and our perspectives that shape those choices affect us and in turn affect the world. And then the ripple expands.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." - Luke 16:10 (NIV)

The small trials are where the rubber meets the road. It’s when you get to decide. “Who do I want to be? What do I want to say to this world around me? What do I want to represent?”

So, yes, the small trials prepare us for the big trials, but they also prepare us for the big blessings!

How we deal with the small trials in life ultimately reflects how we would manage great blessings. The greater the blessing the greater the impact!

Can we be trusted with great blessing? Can we be trusted with the responsibility of great impact?

I choose to take the responsibility to be able to say “Yes” and in turn walk without fear of trials and in great joy of those coming blessings and new responsibilities!