Is it Really that Important?
Good Morning,
One of the life lessons it took me far too long to learn is to stop dying on mountains that weren’t worth dying on. In fact, to say that I have “learned” it is probably an overstatement. It takes constant reminding. For example, as I reflect on my life as a parent, especially when my kids were still at home, I realize that home could have been a bit more fun. Too many things that did not merit a rise to the level of great importance did so anyway. Sure, in the moment they seemed significant (at least to me), but in the complete scope of life, not to mention eternity, they weren’t that big a deal.
I once heard Jay Kessler, past president of Taylor University, remind an audience that a piercing was simply a little hole in the skin. It was not all out rebellion, let alone the unpardonable sin. The same can be said for a tattoo, blue hair and any number of other things that in eternity won’t matter.
The same tendency can carry over into our businesses. Just because a customer chooses another supplier does not mean that you automatically need to change your entire business model. They may have made a poor choice. That customer who is constantly upset may just not want to be happy. They may just enjoy being miserable. (I have noticed that some people are very gifted at being a pain in the posterior). Those people don’t deserve the angst that you have allowed yourself to feel over them.
Our churches are not immune to this either. If the preacher goes a little long, or not long enough, so what. If the band uses full on fog and special lights, how cool. If the order of service changes from what it has been for the last 150 years, it’s about time. If there is no Sunday night service because people are together with their families, maybe we should celebrate that. If the youth get stains on the memorial carpet then rejoice that youth were in church.
Before allowing yourself to get so upset over such small things take a moment to breathe. Ask yourself why this thing has gotten you so upset? Then ask yourself if the sun is still going to come up tomorrow? Is God still in charge or not? Are you are as upset about the neighbor who doesn’t know Christ as you are about the person your kid voted for?
Once again let me remind you of one of my favorite quotes from author, speaker and former pastor John Maxwell:
“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” (From the book Developing the Leader Within You)
Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein
