Always Sweat the Small Stuff

My sister, daughter, and I are fanatics about tag phrases, especially old cliché tags like, “If it ain’t one thing, it’s another,” but movie tags are our favorite, though. I’m quite sure everyone is familiar with Clint Eastwood’s tag line, “Go ahead, make my day,” as Dirty Harry and the infamous “I’ll be back” line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator.

We will throw various tag lines into our conversations when we’re talking about certain situations in our lives. When one of us throws in a tag line, we generally burst into laughter and our moods are immediately lightened regardless of what ever is going on.

One particular phrase that always comes to my mind is “never sweat the small stuff.” Ordinarily when people refer to this phrase it means don’t worry about the little, trivial things in life, but rather focus on what is more important—the bigger picture.

As a Christian, I’ve altered this quote to “always sweat the small stuff” for there lies the foundation of our Christianity and example of Jesus in our lives. Everyone is so focused on and talks about the bigger things like stealing, murder, adultery, and homosexuality that the other things or what are considered to be the smaller, insignificant things are swept under the rug.

For example, saying a kind word to a person could turn their whole day around. Giving someone a compliment could boost his or her self-confidence—just plainly and simply being kind to another. That is how we show God’s love to others and that is what draws others to Christ. These small, yet so important gestures have been lost in today’s secular society, and unfortunately, even in the church.

We, as Christians, should never pass a person and not speak to them. We should never be unwilling to lend a helping hand wherever it is needed. This is our whole duty, to show the love of Christ to others. It is bestowed upon us in Colossians 3:12 to put on the bowels of mercies.

Jesus was always full of compassion for the people with whom he interacted, regardless of who they were. He showed kindness to the adulterous woman in John 8:11, who was clearly a sinner, but also to Mary and Martha at the death of their brother, Lazarus, who were believers. Most of all, he showed kindness and mercy when He left His rightful place where He was seated beside our Father in glory to come down to die on the cross for our sins that we may have everlasting life. If He could make the ultimate sacrifice for us, then we could at least be kind to one another.

Cordialness, encouragement, respect, and kindness may be considered small things in comparison to stealing, murder, and adultery, but they are essential on our journey to Heaven, the foundation of our Christianity. The Bible tells us that if we love God with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves, that is the fulfillment of the law. For if we love God, we will love others and if we want kindness for ourselves, we will give it to others.

So, yes, always sweat the small things. Be diligent about showing kindness and being an example of Christ. Make a big deal out of treating each other the way Jesus has treated us, and the results will bring us to the bigger picture of winning brothers and sisters to the kingdom of God.

#shieldaforrest