God Wants the Small Stuff (And the Big!)

Have you ever been frustrated over making a decision? You may get frustrated over deciding which restaurant to eat at...especially if the kids are all hollering for something different! You may get frustrated over what size pants to purchase...especially if the ones that fit you best are a size bigger than you wanted them to be! You may scratch your head trying to figure out where to invest your money...or time...probably both. Frustration may cause lines to cross your face when trying to make a job decision...or whether to purchase a home. These are all certainly good candidates for a frustrating experience.

Each of these decisions brings about a certain amount of stress, even if it's just getting the kids to settle down and accept that you're going to eat at home instead of Wendy's!

And most of us can even determine the most logical decisions to make in each of these scenarios.

But what decision does God want us to make? What decision does He have in mind that is best for us?

Sometimes it's not always as clear cut as we would like for it to be. Take eating out, for example...you can't pick up a bucket of Bojangles if you only have $3. If you can't squeeze into the size 12, you have to purchase the size 14. And if you have no extra money to invest...you simply don't invest what you don't have!
But what about the decision for Moms to stop working and stay at home? Some Moms could do that if the family lifestyle was adjusted, while others really don't have that option. And what about the decision to purchase a new home that better fits your family? Some people could afford to live in a nicer home than they do now...or they could choose to stay put and enjoy a luxury of some other kind. What about the decision for a Mom to go to work part-time?...the decision to sell your nicer home for something more modest?

How do you make decisions that seem lateral? Decisions that wouldn't be a complete lifestyle change for you? While most of the time, it seems that our decisions are made in order to go from something negative to something positive...bad to good...unacceptable to acceptable...

What about the decisions we make that are between good and good?

I have to admit that it's much easier for me to knock down God's door with what I perceive as a life-altering decision...and easier for me to see God's answer...than when I'm faced with a choice that is perceived as "fine either way".

As I get older, I'm understanding more clearly my incredibly desperate need for God. I can't breath without Him. And yes, we as Christians know how physically true that statement is. But it's also true mentally. This life can be CRAZY frustrating at times. With the silliest of decisions. But you know what?

God doesn't mind us begging Him for His input on where to eat dinner. In fact, He LOVES to take our frustrations, no matter how ridiculous they can seem, and ease them. The problem lies in our inability to make it a habit of giving those frustrations to Him. Our ignorance in thinking that the small stuff doesn't matter and we can "get over it" on our own. The truth is...sometimes we just can't get over the small stuff! We'll allow it to ruin our day...ruin our summer...ruin our vacation...and steal our joy.

In fact, I'm convinced that when the devil can't get us with the bigger stuff in life, he jumps all over our can on those little frustrations. And instead of getting in the Word...and using it to soothe our minds and irritated hearts, we get ill and hateful with our family and develop the habit of seeing more negative in situations than we see positive. And that's not how God wants us to live.

It's like watching your toddler get stressed over whether to choose the cookie in your right hand or the cookie in your left hand. It can ruin the whole experience of having a cookie in the first place! And both cookies are chocolate chip. At least in my world...

Again...God wants us to live life to the fullest.

The key is this:
Only God knows that the cookie He would choose for you
has chocolate coating on the back.
And since you only get to choose once...
wouldn't you want to ask Him about it?

Just my crazy way of thinking.

Funny that when I get the most frustrated, it's that crazy dependency on Him that brings me the most comfort...and the least amount of frustration.

Especially in the small stuff.