Small things Matter a Lot!

Small Things Matter a Lot!

Small things matter a lot!  Homeowners appreciate the power of very small insects called termites.  They also respect the colossal damage that a small drop of water creates in time.  A typographical error on a cover letter or resume can automatically eliminate an applicant.  A curious delving into pornography, during his adolescence, eventually toppled one of the country’s foremost televangelists in February of 1987.  Childhood shoplifting recently derailed a promising ambitions and career of a Southern politician.  It is said, “The devil is in the details.”  Attention to detail, however insignificant in our estimation, is vitally important to success and excellence.

Concentrating on basics is the secret of success.  If you are due for a promotion, you should pay close attention to the minor details of your job.  Punctuality with regard to arrival, reports, expense accounts and assignments from your immediate supervisor will factor significantly into the decision.  However, you may reference one or two instances in the preceding evaluation period in which you saved the company a lot of money or greatly exceeded performance expectations.  Yet, the inability to arrive on time, lax lunch hours and laziness with regard to editing your own work undermine any extraordinary achievements.  The sum of these “small” things equals a rather substantial reason to deny a raise and promotion.  There is a spiritual and biblical principle that reasons the inability to handle “small” things means you are equally incapable of managing “big” ones.  Mastering fundamentals is essential to future attainment.

Periodically, it is in our best interest to evaluate of the little things in our lives.  Are we paying our bills on time?  If disregarded, that “small” matter becomes high interest rates on our credit accounts.  Do we change the oil in our cars on a consistent basis?  The sludge that dirty oil produces creates major mechanical problems.  Do we sit and talk with our spouses, children and family members.  Regular communication prevents “big” arguments and festering resentments.  Do we discipline ourselves to correct our own mistakes before giving work to our bosses?  Memos and projects with typos erode the confidence of our supervisors.  Do we stay on schedule as it relates to annual physicals?  Early detection is the secret of preventive disease healthcare.  Remembering these little things will save time, money, disappointment and perhaps even failure.  Staying on top of small details remains the key to excelling at anything.

Whereas spending erodes the principal of a trust fund, termites eat away the foundation of a building, water corrodes the metal of cars, and procrastination steals our time, those liabilities can become assets.  If we cultivate the willingness and discipline, we can arrest the progression of these unfortunate circumstances.  Had the clergyperson and politician in the foregoing examples gotten help in the early stages of their problems, they would have successfully overcome them.  Each day presents us with another opportunity to triumph over the challenges that we face.  We win by finding the daily wherewithal to take steps in the right direction.  We transform our weaknesses into the strengths.

In as much as ignoring “small” things can be detrimental, observing them can be instructive.  Ants are very small but exceedingly wise.  They are the most disciplined insects: fostering team work among the colony; preparing for winter during the summer, sharing the spoils of acquisition, and refusing to waste time and energy.  “Consider the ant, you sluggard!”  Secondly, the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, barely visible to the eye and seemingly impossible to fit between the fingers.  It yields one of the biggest plants in a vegetable garden.  You will recall that faith the size of mustard seed can move a mountain of problems. 

The prophet, Zechariah, asks the pivotal question, “Who despises the days of small beginnings? (4:10).”  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  A best selling novel is written one page at a time.  We lose weight one ounce at a time.  Future success unfolds one day at a time.  Seeing that “small” things evolve into “big” disasters if treated indifferently, it behooves us to master the details of our lives.  Otherwise, those same “small” things will extract a costly punishment on us.  But, if we channel those minor details toward our purposes, then they will become the building blocks of our success.  Whether negatively or positively, “small” things matter a lot!