Well, after our little side trip last week to the misty ball park, here we are, back at “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff”.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a repair shop. This phrase was part of sign that hung over a door. The full text was:

“Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
Everything Is Small Stuff”

I’m a pretty laid back person. One would think that this philosophy would go along very well with my basic view of life. It’s possible that this sign was intended to be humorous. At first glance, one would thing that this view of life would be a sweet, funny comfort to me, but, hear me out.

If you go to a repair shop and see a sign like this, how does it affect you? Let’s say you’re getting your engine overhauled. So, the mechanic leaves out a small spring here and there, forgets to replace a bolt, tighten a nut, etc. Do you really want a mechanic working on your engine who espouses that philosophy? I sure don’t! I want someone who pays attention to even the most minor details if he’s working on MY engine!

Would you want a doctor operating on your heart if he had a sign like that over the door to his office? Can you imagine him repairing critical parts of your heart all the while thinking, “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything is small stuff”? All too often, there are practitioners out there who leave sponges, clamps, scissors, etc. inside patients and later have to redo the job. Remember, every doctor who graduated in the top half of his/her class has a fellow doctor who graduated in the bottom half of his/her class! I’m really not picking on doctors but believe the point is valid.

I remember a mechanic friend who had a one-man shop. Yep, he was the one man! He had a sign that said, “If You’ve Got Time To Do It Again, You’ve Got Time To Do It Right In The First Place”. I valued his meticulous work and appreciated his work ethic. When I moved, it was most sad because I was losing my main man mechanic.

Admittedly, it’s easy to blast away at whole classes of people even though only a few of them may be “guilty”. If you think that’s true, then please let me narrow the focus to you and me.

We go to the grocery store and watch our kids snack on various pieces of fruit, particularly grapes! We think it’s okay, it’s not stealing, for sure. The super market can easily afford it what with high grocery prices. The fact that most grocery stores show a net profit of about one cent out of every dollar doesn’t even enter our minds. If confronted, we might even answer, “Hey, don’t be so petty, it’s only a grape!”

I recently saw a man get out of a Lexus, walk up to a newspaper vending machine, put in his five quarters, and take out THREE Sunday papers. Dishonest? Well, to me and you, but the man might reply, “Hey, the newspaper makes a fortune so I’m entitled!” Of course, he is totally missing the point that it’s not the newspaper company that has to make up the difference, but the little Hispanic vendor who gets stuck.

When we so easily excuse our children and ourselves from fault in these matters, we’re saying, in essence, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”! Wrong is wrong even though “everybody” is doing it. It’s not small stuff to the businesses involved or to the Lord.

Perhaps a better message to put on a sign would be, “Little Things Mean A Lot”.

I’d like to hear your responses to this piece. Let me know what you see in these words.  Use the “Leave a Reply” box below!  I’ll get back to you.

– WOW, this sure says it all PapaJ. Faith is blind, but isn’t it worth it. It’s funny how an image can remind one of that!!!!!!!

– What a lovely analogy! Thanks.

– Good article, Jerry. As an aside, I used to work in Ocala in the Paddock Mall. I love horses, and I used to keep my nose glued to the window when my husband would drive us through horse country. I was so proud when an Ocala horse won the Kentucky Derby!

      I’ve found that I have to really concentrate when I’m jogging through that mist with my Father to make sure I keep hold of His hand and to keep my eyes on His face instead of on the ground, especially when the path is rough. I have a tendency to look away from Him and try to make out the path I should take based on my own limited ability to see. The only problem is that, even though I might be able to see a smooth road just ahead of me, I can’t see the boulders a little farther down that same path. They’re hidden in the fog. It’s a constant struggle for me to remember that smooth isn’t always better, anyway. The rough pathway might build my balance and strength to an extent a smooth pathway never could. I just have to trust. So easy to say, so hard to do!

– Thanks for the neat story. Being middle aged, I have found there have been times looking back over the years, where I have been hardened by external circumstances. Little by little, these events have chipped away at the faith and trust that I have held in my heart. Many times this chipping away went unnoticed, and the full realization of just how much I had lost, didn’t hit home until a major trial came along. Trust is not something that comes easy – growing up in a house where chaos and violence were the norm, trust was not something that came naturally to me. Since my granddaughter has been born (she is now age 3) I have been amazed at her degree of trust in me, and in those with whom she feels safe. I envy her ability to trust, and have made it a goal of mine to regain some of that childlike trust that I have let slip away. Life circumstances have worn away some of my ability to place my trust in others. I know that is normal to a degree, but it is also not healthy. When events in my life or my family’s life are out of control, or seem to be filled with problems, I know that I must have faith and trust in God. He is the CEO of the universe – not me. He is in charge, and when I don’t understand “why”, I must have faith and trust that He will provide and take care of my loved ones and me.

– Thanks for the wonderful article. As we have those times when we can’t see where the Father is leading us—it is comforting to know He looks after us in the mist and we can TRUST Him.

     This is a refreshing story and my first thought is that we need to trust our Daddy God like this little gal trusted her Daddy. Our total trust and faith that God will take care of our needs and lead us where He wants us to be. There are times in our lives when things are difficult and we do not know what tomorrow will hold. That is the time that we need to fully put our faith in Father God to see us through and open the doors to the right path.

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