Dailiness

The bugs and annoyances of life.

“A fool always loses his temper, but a wise person holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11 NASB

“No matter what type of anger or frustration we have to struggle with, a clear picture of how our faith in God is the answer to anything we need to overcome.” – Carol Graham

If you think small things don’t matter, wait until you’re trying to sleep with a buzzing mosquito biting you!

Frustration is those annoying, itching, biting mites interfering with our goals, rest, and peace. It’s remarkable that people can handle catastrophes, tragedies, and pain better than the daily nits that poke at us. An urgent phone call in the middle of a meeting, a child throwing up in class, or a flat tire on the way to work are those little bugs that throw the whole day out of kilter—and, worse, our attitude.

Control. I have, once again, fooled myself into thinking I have it. The big obstacles of life are so hard, it’s true, but we give ourselves grace and admit we do not have control over life and death, tornadoes, or other catastrophes. We pray. We give ourselves a bit of compassion. We seek assistance. We pray for each other. More importantly, we get back up, dust ourselves off, thank the Father, and start again with His ever-present help. It’s the same for the little, annoying, and frustrating things. Life is so full of these and many times throughout the day.

Musings

The termites, mites, gnats and bugs of life. These are what cripple our spiritual walk and our joy. The daily “what nows” of life humble us. The belief that we should have control and do have control over the little annoyances deceives us. Perhaps, that’s the point. Let’s start all over again… With grace. They are small things compared to the eternal picture. (By the way, I just dropped gravy all over me and the floor).

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for your wisdom, grace, and counsel in the big and the little things. We consider little things annoyances and frustrations we should control, but they are the daily disciplines of being more like your Son. No matter what happens today, you are with us, and we can joyfully, with a bit of humor and humility, have a good day. Jesus took the world as it is. We need to do this, too.

Amen.