JUST A LITTLE BIT



6 months ago, I went to the doctor for my annual physical and learned my blood pressure was up – just a little bit.

For some, this isn’t something to be overly alarmed about.  After all, high blood pressure can be temporary due to an overly busy schedule or stress, which was true in my case. But for some reason, this was a wake up call.

So over the last 6 months, I’ve been waking up early nearly every morning to exercise. Each day, just a little bit of exercise, a little bit more, and just a little bit of food. With God’s help, I’ve lost 4 inches around my waist, 40 pounds and my blood pressure is great. It all started with just a little bit.

It amazes me how big things can happen when we pay more attention to the little bits. In my case, each one of those little bits added up to a big difference.  I feel better, I look better, and I have to shop for new clothes.  How rewarding to invest in something and have a positive return!  But unfortunately, that’s not always the case. What if you invest and get nothing in return?  If we’re not careful, a little bit of something not so rewarding can diminish our grasp on who we really are and disconnect us from the Holy Spirit.

I experienced this yesterday.  It was Monday morning and I found myself frustrated as I headed into work. No particular reason, no particular concerns or issues, just that I wanted the weekend to last longer. I headed to my first meeting where my ideas were shut down, discovered some disturbing values of some of my colleagues, and was invited to fill out a survey about issues where I worked, which got me thinking about all the problems at work. My thoughts turned to getting a different job. (After all, we always seem to want to be where we aren't.) From there, a project I’ve been working on for 3 years that was set to reach its completion, got stalled once again. Frustrations kept growing - little bit by little bit. My negative thoughts began to snowball, infiltrating my attitude, and suddenly I began to expect that everything else that happened to me that day, had to be viewed through that lens. All this did was ruin my joy. Instead, I ended up sulking about how much time and energy I spend investing in projects and in others and getting little to no return. How did this happen?  A little bit at a time.  

I quickly learned that if we don’t address that little bit of frustration - immediately - by either handing things over to God or quickly forgiving, a negative disposition can manifest itself quickly. Frustration turns into entitlement, entitlement turns into resentment and resentment turns into bitterness, and by the time you get there, it sucks you in and the next thing you know, you can only see what is wrong with the world, and the people who surround you. And of course you don’t feel as though anyone else could possibly understand your situation or empathize. They just don’t get it. 

But here’s some startling truth from Proverbs 14:10:
 
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. 

Ouch, the truth strikes a chord, and it doesn’t sound good. So take a little bit of advice from someone who has let this happen to them. Check yourself. Immediately. 

Check yourself the moment you can sense a little bit of frustration or resentment. Check yourself the minute you are tempted to quote Solomon's words about "life being all vanity" and instead of getting a lit bit of bitterness, hand it over to God or forgive.  That's giving a little bit of love and enjoying your days !  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rh38-9ZE-8



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