I would love to eat another cookie!
Everything within me wants to "let loose" on my child in this moment!
I want to give up -- there isn't any hope this will get better!
Do any of the reflections above resonate in your weary being from time to time? Are you amazed at how hard it seems to be to live out life well here on this green earth? Don't you find it is easier to give in than press in?
The older I grow, the more I realize it is the LITTLE choices that make the biggest impact in life!
I desperately long to choose well in the small areas because I have come to see how greatly they impact the big areas of my life. That, in turn, is like a row of dominoes standing tall -- one touch and many fall -- so similar to life as a mom. Whether we like it or not, what we do and what we say is being carefully monitored and imitated every day! No pressure. Smile.
As humans, we seem to quickly complicate the space we live in with big goals and high hopes and forget that it all stems from the small decisions that constantly glare at us. While big goals aren't wrong, we have to bring everything down to the level of life where we daily dwell . . . moment by moment.
That is why a great big goal of losing twenty pounds has to be viewed through the LITTLE choices of whether to have one freshly-baked, warm chocolate brownie or whether to have three.
It is also why a great big goal of living on a budget of $"X" a month has to be viewed through the LITTLE choices of whether to buy one silky, bright shirt or whether to buy four.
We are surrounded by choices every day and not all of them are right and wrong -- ultimately those are the easy ones -- it is the small ones that govern the big picture that need more value given to them. Think about these comparatives:
- It's easier to turn on our TVs than to pick up our Bibles
- It's easier to give into frustration with a child than to keep our emotions in check
- It's easier to defend ourselves and blame others than to take responsibility for our own actions
Because God is calling us to higher heights and greater depths, but we won't be ready to travel there until we have grown in self-discipline and self-control in the LITTLE things.
The Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25 reminds me of these truths . . . Jesus told the story of three men who were all entrusted with talents, but in varying quantities. When the Master returned, the concern on His heart was not who was the best, but whether they had been faithful with what they had been given. Those who were found faithful even with little were given even more!
A famous quote calls out - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, but I would challenge us to, in a way, sweat the small stuff and watch the big stuff get easier! God is our ever-present help and as we press into Him, He will walk us through each moment with His strong arm to lean on.
"For everyone who has
will be given more, and he
will have an abundance."
Matthew 25:29
I was thinking of you today and wishing I could have tea and chat. Tonight I read all your June writings and feel like we've had a good talk. Thanks for being obedient to what God has called you to do.
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