Fixating on small things is a big thing. Getting annoyed to the point of expressing unrestrained and obvious impatience by someone’s insignificant verbal ticks or long lines at the store or heavy traffic or rude people does nothing less than strip every last vestige of peace from the soul and light from the eyes and joy from the heart.
Sometimes people precede a comment by saying, “It’s just a small thing, but . . . .” If that is the case, then it is not a small thing. It might be small like a rock in your shoe. But, a small rock in the shoe can alter your walk and over time can ruin your back.
One of the great signs of holiness is the capacity to rise above the petty. When nothing seems to fit in the category of petty, then there is a good chance that God has done some pruning and internal work. If pet peeves cease being pets and become more elusive like Papua New Guinea’s Tree Kangaroos, then they just do not hold power over us or threaten to unravel us. Just like the Kangaroos, the peeve-free Christian is rarely caught on camera or unraveled by the skeptics of Christianity.
Think about your pet peeves. Think about the petty things that trouble more than they should. Have you ever thought to ask God to make you peeve and petty free? This may just be the biggest small thing you have ever prayed about.
So many thoughts...The acting on attitudes I regret the most have been the result of being petty. Those moments of ministry, those times of "living abundantly," seem to be those when pettiness has been abandoned and truly loving others as God loves them is allowed free rein. Pettiness is probably the opposite of Paul's definition of love in 1 Cor 13.
Posted by: Gary Reid | August 20, 2010 at 02:15 AM