All the Small Things
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt 6:33).
When my car needs repaired, I turn to my dad for help. He’s an excellent mechanic and enjoys tinkering on vehicles. I’m thankful because I rarely have major car repair expenses. Recently, he changed the brake pads and rotors and then the oil in my car. When he lowered the car back to the ground, he cranked the ignition, and…it wouldn’t start.
I called AAA, thinking the battery had died. No such luck. The AAA mechanic told me the battery was fine, but he could tell that fuel wasn’t getting through the lines, so he thought it was most likely the fuel pump. Ouch! I knew that would cost a pretty penny. But I had to get it to the shop to find out for sure.
So I called AAA again to have it towed. The tow truck driver said he’d never known a fuel pump to go out in a car like mine. I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, the problem would be minor.
As it turned out, a small, $27 oil sending unit had stopped working. Basically, this tiny part tells the car’s computer if oil is being pumped into the engine. When the oil sending unit went bad, it told the car’s computer that there was no oil in the car, even though it was full, and to start the car would mean ruining the engine.
Thankfully, the part was inexpensive, and it took little time to install it. But this incident made me think about how often I let small things derail me. Minor irritations or miscommunications can turn into major catastrophes and shut down the entire process.
When I stew over a miscommunication with a friend, I’m reminded to take a deep breath, step back, and pray before I respond. When the eyes of my heart focus on small irritations, sometimes coming one right after another, I’m reminded to change my perspective. When the worries of this world overwhelm me, I’m reminded to dig into God’s Word for guidance.
As a Christian, the Holy Spirit serves as my indicator to pray, refocus, and read the Word. When I ignore his promptings, I drift from God, and small problems seem like huge mountains. But when I seek God first, I can relax and let go. When I connect to him through prayer, through worship, through Bible reading, and through other believers, I come away feeling refreshed. Even if I don’t have a solution, I have a next step, and that makes all the difference when letting go of the small stuff.
Dear Jesus, thank you for providing the Holy Spirit to help me recognize when small irritations move me away from you. Help me reconnect with you and let go of the small irritations in life. Amen.