I wonder what the origins of that quote are? It is a line we use and hear frequently, but rarely do I give it more than a passing thought. It sounds easy enough, right? In all honesty, if you stop and think about it, isn't it the small stuff that we sweat about the most? Why is it so hard to let those things go?
Generally speaking we feel that we have the most control over the day to day, how you live your life stuff. It is the BIG stuff like, illness, death, state of our country, lives of others... that we feel more of a loss of control over. So it makes perfect sense that it is the small stuff that we fret about so. Yet worrying, fretting, obsessing, fearing, etc...is one and the same whether something is large or small!
My husband and I have been privileged with the role of caring for an elderly woman who was/is my husband's mother figure throughout his life. When I first met her, she was strong, capable, and totally independent and always had been. Slowly she sold her house, moved into an retiree apartment complex, and thus began the shift in her life. In the last 10 months we have watched her lose more and more control over the "small stuff", and become dependent on those around her. From moving into an assisted living facility, needing someone to remember to give her the necessary medication she requires, to needing help getting dressed and going to her meals. The most recent shift this week was moving her to our area into a memory care facility where she will get all the love and care she needs, with plenty more visits from us. Her memory is not all gone, but her needed level of care is high. Through all of this, when I sit back and reflect, I see just how much energy is wasted sweating the "small stuff". There is so much in this life that God has blessed us with to enjoy and partake in, that I do not want to be near the end of my time on this earth, and realize how much time I wasted worrying, fretting, and putting so much time into the things that do not matter much. I can tell already that there is going to much learned by being in the company of the wise and aged people where she is living. I do not think that they look back on their lives and think, "I am so glad that I spent a lot of time consumed with the size of my thighs, the latest trends, whether or not my kids are the smartest or best behaved." But rather they will be at peace knowing that their life was lived filled with love, joy and appreciation for all that God had blessed them with, whether great or trying in their eyes.
Give it a try....Don't sweat the small stuff!
