Often I find there are things I just sort of ignore or blow off because they are, after all, “little things.” However, God is showing me how it’s really in the “little things” that the substance of my life comes to be. So what exactly are the “little things in your life?” Here are a few of mine.
Thinking that I can do a day of homeschool “flying by the seat of my pants.” Ha! Ha! That is absolutely ludicrous! I cannot sit down and relax once my kids go to bed, thinking this is time just for me. It’s only free time if I’ve wrapped up the loose ends of the day – papers graded, tomorrow’s plans ready to go, perused my day planner, etc.
Thinking that it doesn’t really matter if the dishes aren’t clean before bedtime. Of course, this totally goes againstFlyLady’s “shiny sink” theory! The dishes don’t magically get clean and I’ll be scrambling the next day to figure out when they’ll get washed. Come breakfast, the boys are wondering where to find clean dishes – in the cupboard, the dishwasher, or worse yet, do they need to use paper? It’s SO much nicer – for everyone - to start the day with a shiny sink and clean dishes.
Thinking that it’s okay to pay the bills a day or two after the paycheck comes in. That’s financial suicide. Every day that the money isn’t managed, some portion of it (increases exponentially every day) is flying out the window at breakneck speed!
Thinking that one package of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls won’t affect my weight loss efforts. Ha! That one little package came with its friends, the other five little packages and they feel terribly neglected sitting in the cupboard without their friend. Naturally, I feel sad for them and must eat them as well. Nothing like an extra 1,620 calories, 72 grams of fat (30 of which are saturated), and 156 grams of sugar over a few days!! Gosh, one “little” package is 6 points, for all you Weight Watchers folks out there!
Thinking that some things are too little for God to be concerned about; that I don’t really need to ask Him or seek His input because it’s “such a little thing.” If God wasn’t interested in “little things” would He know the number of hairs on my head? (That’s saying something, because I have a LOT of hair.) Would He have formed all of creation so intricately and beautifully? Would millions of snowflakes be unique? Would bees fly?
Habits and character are all built one tiny little step at a time. Life happens one moment after another. It is far too precious and fleeting to think that “little things” don’t matter. They are the building blocks of everything.
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It’s these “little” things that I so desperately need to get down, I was never given a model of how to run the home, let alone homeschool, the LORD is my model, I’m constantly trying to fly by the seat of my pants! Progress has been made as the Lord has broken me of the selfish nature that causes me to entitle myself to ‘free time’ and just to ‘figure it out tomorrow,’ but there’s still a lot left to go! “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:5-6 Being pregnant with #3 and a body that doesn’t want to cooperate is STILL nothing for God to figure out. He will change that ebb and flow to sometimes accomodate our needs, and sometimes to push us to make sacrifices!
Wow! I how could you possibly know all that about me?! I feel like I could have written about those same things, down to the thick hair and swiss cake rolls. Although I wouldn’t have been able to put my thoughts to words as beautifully as you did. Certainly makes me think about getting it all done before bed. My mind is clear and the day goes better when I have taken care of the little things. Thanks for the reminder.