July 8
The Small Stuff
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ––1 Peter 5:6-7
Start off by making your bed. ––Admiral William H. McRaven
The expression says we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff. And there is truth in that, particularly when it comes to stress and anxiety. It’s an utter waste of time to fixate on minutiae that we can neither control or change. The vast majority of the stuff we worry about—over 90% of it—never comes true anyway. Of that remaining 10%, about 8% is less of a deal than we imagined.
There’s another side of the coin when it comes to the small stuff, however. In his excellent book Make Your Bed, retired naval Admiral William H. McRaven emphasizes that the small things in life DO count—including a daily ritual of making your bed. We know this truth: by doing the small stuff every day we develop “small disciplines” that can add up to a disciplined life. Make your bed, have a daily time with God, eat in moderation, drink plenty of water, pursue truth in all your interactions, and best of all:
Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ––Matthew 22:37-39
Probably like you, on some days it seems that all I can think about are the large things at the expense of the small. I get up late, rush to a meeting, forget my “morning sit” with God, stress about a million things. There’s grace for those days, though (thank you, Lord), and hopefully they become the exception as we grow older.
Man of God, it starts with our emotional and spiritual posture when we first open our eyes in the morning. As the anxieties begin to flood in, we need to consciously stop and recognize what’s happening. There’s warfare here, brother: The enemy will do everything he can every morning to get you off on the wrong foot by trying to drown out the vital with the unessential. We start with the simple prayer: Father, I surrender this day to You, and ask that You make Your priorities my priorities.
Don’t let the tyranny of the urgent stop you from taking the small, healthy steps each day that lead to a great week, a blessed year, and a God-honoring life.
Lord, help me keep a tight focus on what really matters each morning, and to take the small steps that lead to Your big plans for me.