"Don't sweat the small stuff."

A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways. Proverbs 21:29

If I "treasure" or honor a person, my positive, warm feelings about him or her begin to rise correspondingly. I realize that it isn't always easy to keep one's thoughts and feelings at the "honoring" level. But if an attitude of dishonor is allowed to develop or turn destructive, it's a short step to attaching negative feeling to that person. instead of his actions. When we begin a pattern of consistently dishonoring others—even if it's only in our minds—within a matter of a few weeks we can lose nearly all loving feelings for them.

That's when you begin to hear the comments, "I hate this job!" or "Of all the fish in the sea, I got stuck with her!" That's also where small acts of irritation—like squeezing the toothpaste tube from the wrong end—can end up being "grounds" for divorce. Or your office mate keeping their desk cluttered—can end up being "grounds" for quitting.

The little things can bring about major escalation. Why is it that something as small as a toothpaste tube or a little clutter can bring us to the point of devastation?

But the opposite is true as well. Time and again, when honor begins to take root, within a matter of a few days or weeks, your feelings will start to change. You'll begin to be more patient with your spouse or co-worker.

Remember, your feelings are based on what you think. To change your feelings towards another and to begin honoring them, you must evaluate and eliminate the negative thinking.

What little things are starting to drive you away from your loved ones?

How has your dwelling on the small stuff affected you ability to honor others?

© Copyright 2005 Smalley Relationship Center

Print this page

E-mail this page

Bookmark this page

Back to top