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When Little Things Steal Your Peace - How to Stop Overthinking and Trust God. · Inspired Edge: From Fear to Faith-Filled Living

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  Foreign.
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  Have you ever noticed how one small thing can completely change the direction of your day?
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  Maybe somebody says something that rubs you the wrong way, or you spill your coffee on the way out the door, or you make a mistake at work, or someone just forgets to call you back or your plans get
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  interrupted and before you know it, something that really isn't that big has taken up a whole lot of space in your mind.
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  You're replaying it, thinking about what you should have said, wondering why that person did what they did, maybe even beating yourself up over something that you wish you had handled differently.
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  If that sounds familiar, I want you to know you're not alone.
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  I'm Chuck Keller, a Christian life coach who helps busy professionals break free from burnout and fear based patterns so they can live with bold faith, clear direction and purpose driven action using what I call the five life keys
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  of clarity, confidence, focus, Faith and purpose.
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  And this is Inspired Edge from Fear to Faithful Living Today I want to talk about something simple, but something that can have a huge impact on our peace learning not to sweat the small stuff and maybe more importantly,
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  learning how to recognize when the small stuff is becoming big stuff in our hearts.
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  We've all heard that phrase before.
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  Don't sweat the small stuff.
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  It sounds good, but when you're in the middle of frustration, disappointment or stress, it doesn't always feel so simple.
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  Because sometimes the issue itself may be small, but the emotion attached to it feels very real and very big.
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  You might know intellectually that something isn't worth getting upset about, but your mind keeps going back to it anyways.
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  And that's where Scripture gives us something much deeper than simply saying get over it.
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  Philippians 4:6:7 tells us, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
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  And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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  I love that phrase in everything.
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  Not just the big things, but not just the medical diagnosis, not just the financial crisis, not just the major decision, but everything.
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  And that means the small frustrations too.
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  God isn't saying come to me when the problem is important enough.
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  He's inviting us to bring all of it to Him.
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  Because the problem isn't always the size of the situation.
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  Sometimes it's the amount of mental and and emotional energy we allow that situation to consume and we need to keep the big picture in view.
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  Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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  In other words, deal faithfully with what's in front of you today.
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  We can tend to create a tremendous amount of stress by turning one moment into a much bigger story.
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  One mistake becomes I always mess up.
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  One disagreement becomes they obviously don't respect me.
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  One difficult day becomes nothing is going right.
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  One unanswered email becomes something must be wrong.
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  Our minds can move pretty quickly from what actually happened to what we fear it might mean.
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  And that's why clarity, one of the five life keys, matters so much.
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  Clarity helps us to separate the facts from the story we're telling ourselves.
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  You can ask what actually happened?
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  And then what am I adding to what happened?
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  Those can be two very different things.
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  And sometimes the most faith filled thing you can do is simply stop long enough to see the situation clearly and remember that people will make mistakes Romans 3:23 reminds us that for all have sinned and fall short of
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  the glory of God.
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  We know this verse, but sometimes we forget to apply it when another imperfect person inconveniences us.
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  Someone says the wrong thing, someone forgets something.
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  Someone doesn't meet our expectations.
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  And suddenly we're shocked that imperfect people are acting imperfectly.
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  And of course we do it too.
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  You're going to make mistakes, so am I.
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  The people closest to us are going to make mistakes.
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  Your spouse will, your co workers will, your friends will.
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  Your kids will.
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  And part of living with grace is allowing people to be human without turning every misstep into a judgment of their character.
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  That doesn't mean we ignore harmful behavior or avoid healthy boundaries.
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  It simply means that not every mistake needs to become a major issue.
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  Sometimes grace says that wasn't ideal, but I can let it go.
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  So how do we forgive others quickly?
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  Ephesians 4:32 says, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.
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  Think about how different our relationships might look if we applied that verse to the small stuff.
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  Not every comment needs a comeback.
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  Not every mistake needs to be corrected.
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  Not every irritation needs to become a conversation.
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  Sometimes the healthiest response is forgiveness.
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  And forgiveness doesn't mean pretending something didn't bother you.
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  It means deciding that you're no longer going to carry the offense longer than necessary.
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  Because small offenses become heavy when we collect them.
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  One comment, then another, and then another.
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  And before long that resentment develops.
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  What began as something small is now affecting the entire relationship.
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  Forgiveness allows us to put that weight down and don't forget to forgive yourself.
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  This one can be even harder.
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  Some of us are incredibly gracious toward others and incredibly harsh toward ourselves.
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  You forget something, you say the wrong thing, you miss an opportunity, you react emotionally, and then you begin replaying it over and over.
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  Why did I do that?
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  I should have known better.
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  I can't believe I messed that up.
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  But think about the grace you would extend to somebody that you love and care about.
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  If a good friend came to you embarrassed about the exact same mistake, would you speak to them the way you're speaking to yourself?
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  Probably not.
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  You might say something like, you made a mistake.
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  Learn from it.
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  Make it right if you need to.
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  And keep going.
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  Maybe you need to hear those same words today, because there's a difference between conviction and condemnation.
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  Conviction points us toward God, while condemnation keeps us staring at ourselves.
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  And God can use our mistakes to grow us without requiring us to live under the weight of them.
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  Here's a question that I've found helpful.
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  Ask will this matter 10 years from now?
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  There are certainly things that require our attention, but many things that occupy our minds today won't matter next month, much less 10 years from now.
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  And Jesus says in Matthew 6:19 21 do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
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  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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  And that's a powerful reminder to keep our attention on what matters most our relationship with God.
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  The people we love, the way we treat others, the calling that God has placed before us, the character that he's developing within us.
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  Sometimes we're giving first class emotional energy to third class problems.
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  And when we do that, we have less energy available for what truly matters.
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  And that's where the life key of focus becomes so important.
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  Focus isn't just about productivity.
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  It's about choosing what deserves your attention.
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  Because your attention is one of the most valuable things you have.
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  So choosing a different response first Peter 5:7 gives us the simple invitation, cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
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  Notice again it says all your anxiety so that big and small, God cares about the things that are weighing on you.
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  But he never intended for you to carry every frustration, worry, offense and mistake indefinitely.
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  Sometimes faith looks very dramatic.
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  But most often faith is simply saying, God, I'm giving this to you.
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  I don't want to carry this into the rest of my day.
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  Help me respond with grace.
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  Help me see this more clearly.
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  Help me release what doesn't deserve this much of my attention.
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  That is faith filled.
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  Living in everyday life, not ignoring problems, not pretending things don't hurt, but learning to filter our circumstances through God's truth rather than allowing our circumstances to control our peace.
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  So maybe the question today isn't simply am I sweating the small stuff?
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  Maybe the better question is, what am I allowing to steal the peace God is offering me?
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  Think about something you've been carrying lately.
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  Maybe it was an irritation, a mistake, an awkward conversation, a disappointment, a worry about tomorrow.
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  Now ask yourself, does this deserve the amount of energy I'm giving it?
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  And more importantly, have I actually given this to God?
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  The goal isn't to become somebody who never feels frustrated.
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  The goal is to become somebody who knows where to take that frustration.
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  Philippians tells us where we take it to God in prayer, with thanksgiving and trust, and then we allow his peace to guard our hearts and our minds.
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  That's not denial, that's spiritual maturity.
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  Here are three questions that I'd encourage you to sit with either today or over the coming week.
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  First, think about a recent situation where you found yourself sweating the small stuff.
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  What would have changed if you had paused and applied Philippians 4, 6, 7 in that moment?
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  Second, is there a small offense or mistake, either yours or somebody else's, that you're still carrying?
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  What would forgiveness look like in that situation?
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  And third, what deserves more of your attention right now?
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  Is there something temporary, consuming energy that God may be asking you to redirect towards something eternal?
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  Write those questions down and spend a few quiet moments with God.
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  If you recognize that this isn't just about one frustration that you've been feeling overwhelmed, distracted, stuck, fearful or unsure of what God is calling you toward, I want to invite you to look at the bigger picture of your
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  life through the five life clarity, confidence, focus, faith, and purpose.
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  Ask yourself, where do I need more clarity?
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  Where has fear affected my confidence?
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  What needs more or less of my focus?
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  Where is God asking me to trust him more, more deeply and what purposeful action is he calling me to take?
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  Those five areas work together and often when one gets out of alignment, we start feeling it everywhere else.
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  That's the work I help people walk through at Inspired Edge coaching, moving away from those fear driven patterns toward a life of greater clarity, stronger faith and intentional purpose.
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  So if today's episode connected with you, start with those five questions and remember, you don't have to give equal weight.
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  You don't have to carry every frustration and you don't have to carry it alone.
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  God cares about what concerns you, so bring it to Him.
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  Release what needs to be released.
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  Refocus on what matters most and take your next step with faith.
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  I'm Chuck Keller, and this is Inspired Edge From Fear to Faith Filled Living.
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  Until next time.
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  Keep choosing.
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  Clarity over confusion, confidence over fear, focus over distraction, faith over worry, and purpose over simply going through the motions.