Sweat the Small Stuff

"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."    Luke 22:44

A few years ago, or maybe more, this little book called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff came out and was a big hit...best seller, new catch phrase, etc.

I've never read it. Never even picked it up.

But here's my question...what makes "stuff" small?

Don't sweat the small stuff...Ok! Newsflash...if it were small, I wouldn't be sweating it!

Life isn't small. There is little in this life that is small.

There is a lot of big stuff to deal with. A lot of big stuff to sweat out. A lot of big stuff that if I only had to concentrate on not sweating about the small stuff I would be golden!

But life isn't small. It's big. There are things in this life that are too big for me to handle. There are things in the life that are too big for me to escape. There are things in this life that are too big for me to not sweat about or cry about or even scream about!

I'm sitting here and I am thinking about what constitutes as small. In reality, very little is small or insignificant.

Every word out of our mouth, every action we take is big.

This afternoon I lost it. LOST IT!

I was so busy cooking a healthy dinner, occupying the children and getting everyone ready for wherever they needed to be after dinner that I couldn't do it. Somehow, chaos insued and things got messy and I couldn't get it all together.

Time was running out. Things were not completed. I was yelling at my kids. Yelling at my husband. Frustration and anger won over everything.

My husband came to kiss me goodby and I barely looked at him...Truth: I scoffed at him and rejected him. And as soon as I did it, my heart broke. Guilt overcame me, but my anger, my pride took over.

He and my son went on their way. And I sat on the couch trying to head out myself and I felt pitiful.

So...did I sweat the small stuff? I got upset and frustrated over something small, like not having it all together. Not having the time to all sit and enjoy dinner. Not having the kids do or act the way I needed them to act.

But it wasn't small. It's something Big that I have to give to God. And that "small" frustration...turned into big stuff.  

Yelling at my kids was not small. Rejecting my husband was not small. Letting my anger get the best of me was not small. All big.

Everything we do and say has a consequence. Big Stuff.

I quickly fixed things with my husband and apologized. I changed my plans and went with my family and put them first because I hadn't done so earlier.

This afternoon was, on a scale of small and big stuff, probably more on the small, but it was worth sweating over.

I need to sweat over the fact that I need to know how to handle things when they don't go my way, big or small.
I need to sweat over the words I speak to my kids. I need to sweat over the fact that they see me lose it. I need to sweat over the fact that they see me react and act frustrated toward them. I need to sweat over the fact that I lose my patience with them.I need to sweat over the fact that I dishonored my husband. I need to sweat over the fact that I speak harshly to him in the presence of my kids. I need to sweat over the fact that I rejected him and hurt him.

None of that is small. It's all worth sweating over.

Life isn't small. Our actions aren't small. Everything we do is big. What we say is not small. Everything we say is big. 

These carry big effects. Big consequences or Big rewards.

So I'm gonna sweat my stuff, big or small, doesn't matter. I'm gonna sweat it because God gave me a mouth that is imperfect and sometimes brutal and a mind that makes decisions that aren't always good or kind and I am going to have to drink from that cup of imperfection for the time being. I'm gonna sweat it out, face it, face my imperfections and learn from my mistakes.

And I am going to sweat over small stuff, especially if they are worth sweating over.  

Prayer

Father, forgive me for lsoing it today. Forgive me for the words that I spoke and the harshness of my actions and my heart. Forgive me for losing control. Some days I seem to have it all together but others don't go my way. Help me to look to you when they aren't going my way. Help me to perfect my imperfections, especially the actions I take and the words I speak.

Reflections

Are there small things in your life that you need to sweat over? Things that are worth sweating over? Ask the Lord to reveal things to you that you need to sweat over and perfect. Remember that what we do and what we say hold Big consequences.

Actions to Take

Write down 3 things you did or said today that are worth sweating over.
Ask the Lord what you need to do to learn from these 3 things.

Spark Challenges

I will sweat over the things I say because they can carry big effects.
I will sweat over the things I do becase they can have big consequences.
I will give those small things over to God so He can help me learn from them

Spark Truths

"Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place."          Jeremiah 7:3b

"Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared."
                                                                                                                       Psalms 119: 36-38

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."              2 Samuel 22:33

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."                  2 Corinthians 7:1