Rule Number 1: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Rule Number 2: It’s ALL small stuff!
There are very few things in life worthy of being excluded from the “small stuff.”
We were reminded of this today when we heard from a friend of ours that his father had passed away this morning. For Peter, his life on this earth is over. For Steve, the long waits at the hospital, the fighting to arrange insurance coverage, the conversations with doctors, the late-night trips to the ER, the frustrations with family members over details – all that is over too. And suddenly all those pesky problems certainly feel like comparatively “small stuff!”
Steve had a chance to tell his father Goodbye. He knows his father was right with God, and he has a strong faith himself. None of that lessens the pain, but it does limit the regrets. And for the rest of us, seeing someone come to the end of life here does help put everything else in perspective.
In the grand scheme of things, what’s NOT small stuff? A few suggestions:
- Where you will spend eternity. However difficult or pleasant this life is, our time on earth is but a breath. Taking care of business with God is NEVER small stuff.
- Family relationships. Spouse, children, parents, friends – they matter. As Clarence writes in his note to George Bailey at the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, “Remember no man is a failure who has friends.”
- Physical and mental health. No amount of money can buy happiness – or health! It’s something worth preserving, and hard to regain once lost.
I would put those three items in descending order of importance. I think it’s obvious why that is.
And just about everything else truly is small stuff!
Your turn: Do you find yourself trapped in small stuff? What qualifies to be NOT small stuff in your life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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