I can be petty. There! I said it. I’m not happy about it. In fact, I’m terribly embarrassed by it. It’s mostly the little things that get me. For example, it drives me crazy when someone chews their food with their mouth open…not only do I get to see their food for a second time, I also get to hear a noise that sounds not unlike a crocodile chomping at a wildebeest Mara River crossing. My skin crawls just thinking about it. I also lose my cookies when a very slow driver pulls out in front of me and never reaches a speed above 26 mph…only to look in my rear view mirror and see there was no one behind me. Mr. Slowpoke only needed to wait 10 secs to let me pass him before he pulled out and all would have been well. It’s happened to you, right? Maddening!

With very little effort I could write you a small book of things that tear me up. I hate I’m like this. I’m happy to say I’m not as bad as I used to be. But all the stuff that made me this way are still in there. Just this past week, someone pulled out in front of me…with no one behind me…and once again, I could have walked faster. I don’t believe in voodoo curses, but if I did, I would have cast one on the maniac who seemed to not have a care in the world…other than wanting to ruin my day.

Should I stop at this moment or should I continue and mention some of my other petty issues? Okay, I’ll mention a couple of more…for effect. The folks who take 15 minutes to order at the drive-thru at McDonalds or Taco Bell should be arrested and spend their remaining days in a straight jacket. McDonalds has had the same menu since Noah got off the Ark. Why would anyone need 15 minutes to place an order? (I’m getting light-headed just thinking about it.) For the sake of time, I’ll only mention one more. I can’t stand it when I am in an empty restaurant and the hostess chooses to seat a new couple or family right next to me! (Or in that same empty restaurant and that same hostess chooses to seat me next to someone in an empty building.) Makes me want to do a Karate Kid crane kick with unmatched zeal and passion.

Petty…all of it. I’m confessing. I’m a Christian. I should be ashamed for letting such small things get to me. But, sadly, they do. Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:2, ” Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” There’s two great Bible verses that target my pettiness…and yours. Let’s just say “ours.” If those verses didn’t strike a chord, then maybe Ephesians 4:32 will. Paul wrote, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Three Bible verses…three Bible verses and my list of petty issues fades away. The Word of God not only tells us the way of salvation, it guides us through life. I find myself thinking about what our Christian lives would look like if we really had the confidence in the Bible we say we do. It took me all of 45 seconds to find the 3 Bible verses I just shared with you. The verses not only exposed my pettiness (and hypocrisy) they actually gave me the keys to help me overcome my pettiness…if I would only believe them and obey them.

Why is all of this important? Simple. Pettiness derails your life and stunts your growth as a Christian. It bogs you down, causing you to focus on lesser things all the while you’re ignoring bigger and more important issues. We must remember Satan is an excellent strategist. He knows how pettiness factors into our fallen natures. He is a master at getting us to focus on the little things. I, for one, have wasted so much time giving in to his causes, losing hours, days, weeks, and months. Chewing food, poor driving, taking a couple extra moments at the drive-thru, a couple of folks in my comfort zone in a restaurant…really? I let my life get out of sorts over items such as these. Told ya I was petty. But once again, we all must appeal to Scriptures. Alistair Begg once preached that we must all live under the the authority of Scripture. In my case, if I would fully submit, my pet peeve list would be history. I think I’ll work hard on this. I have to. I hate being petty. I really do. I bet you do too. Tell you what, let’s all give it try. Start with the verses I’ve given you. Believe them. Trust them. Pray them. Quote them. Thank God for them. Trust God to be God. Changes will come. The good kind. The best kind. To God be the glory.

Blessings guys,

Bro Mark