Do you sweat the small stuff?
Here's one of those typical business cliches: don't sweat the small stuff. But sometimes the small stuff is really the most important stuff of all.
When I was growing up, we didn't say prayers together as a family. For one thing, my dad would frequently be working a night shift, and so wouldn't be home. For another, well, we just didn't.
But at night, when she would tuck me in bed, my Mom would ask "Did you say your prayers?" And, more times than not, I did.
I don't remember what I said at night. I'd guess it wasn't too much more than a sign of the cross and one or two prayers like an Our Father and Hail Mary. Small stuff when you think about it.
Somehow, though, I understood that it was important, that small stuff. It was important for me to say...and I knew it was important to God.
Nothing's changed. Small stuff still matters to God. Sometimes small stuff matters more than big things. You see, He gives His grace where He will. It's not up to us to decide how and when He should give His grace.
And so a small thing performed perfectly becomes an opportunity for us to receive the grace of God, Our Father: a little aspiration said in the middle of a busy day ("I love you Jesus"), a denial of some little pleasure ("I'll skip mustard on my sandwich today"), stopping that vulgar word from leaving our lips ("son of a...gun").
God's grace flows when and where He decides, not us. But in the small stuff, in those brief moments, He can pour a ton of His graces on us.
I'm not saying your shouldn't have great ambitions (attend Mass every day without fail; go to confession every two weeks instead of once a month; give a chunk of money to that worthy charity), but don't forget the little things. The small stuff's all around us every day. God's grace comes with the small stuff too. So sweat the small stuff.
When I was growing up, we didn't say prayers together as a family. For one thing, my dad would frequently be working a night shift, and so wouldn't be home. For another, well, we just didn't.
But at night, when she would tuck me in bed, my Mom would ask "Did you say your prayers?" And, more times than not, I did.
I don't remember what I said at night. I'd guess it wasn't too much more than a sign of the cross and one or two prayers like an Our Father and Hail Mary. Small stuff when you think about it.
Somehow, though, I understood that it was important, that small stuff. It was important for me to say...and I knew it was important to God.
Nothing's changed. Small stuff still matters to God. Sometimes small stuff matters more than big things. You see, He gives His grace where He will. It's not up to us to decide how and when He should give His grace.
And so a small thing performed perfectly becomes an opportunity for us to receive the grace of God, Our Father: a little aspiration said in the middle of a busy day ("I love you Jesus"), a denial of some little pleasure ("I'll skip mustard on my sandwich today"), stopping that vulgar word from leaving our lips ("son of a...gun").
God's grace flows when and where He decides, not us. But in the small stuff, in those brief moments, He can pour a ton of His graces on us.
I'm not saying your shouldn't have great ambitions (attend Mass every day without fail; go to confession every two weeks instead of once a month; give a chunk of money to that worthy charity), but don't forget the little things. The small stuff's all around us every day. God's grace comes with the small stuff too. So sweat the small stuff.
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