you wanted more

0 + 0 + 0 = a lot

if you could analyze it, if it was possible to determine which things in your life were considered "big" things, and which ones were "little" things, and then somehow find a way to quantify it, what do you think the results would be?  would the bulk of all of the big things outweigh the little?

i stubbed my toe, spilled my coffee, got to work late and caught my hair in my car door.  all very little things (none of which happened on any particular day, but due to my uncanny clutzy abilities, occur on a very regular basis), but you can bet that will put you in a foul mood, one that is quite possibly the start of a very bad day.

someone let me merge into rush hour traffic with a wave and a smile, the clerk made a joke as i paid for my gas, and the weather was 5 degrees warmer than the forecast predicted with a bit of sun for good measure.  still, very small things, but it's certain that this will have a profound effect on my demeanor for the rest of whatever awesome day enveloped all of those things.

first and foremost, little or big, the things that we experience or happen to us do not define us. how we react, and most importantly, how we let God work in us, will define us. you should find no excuses in my descriptions of both bad and good days, simply some examples of the little things that we rarely stop to think about before complaining "i've had a TERRIBLE day", when in actuality, we just had a few things go wrong, and we let it define the rest of how our day went.

now don't get me wrong, the big things in our lives, death, wedding days, new jobs, or major illnesses definitely have a profound impact on who we are as individuals, but why is it that they are so much more dramatic and receive so much more attention? we see someone who leans on God during an extremely difficult divorce and we praise them for their grace and ability to handle something so terrible... but what about the neighbor next door, who for the past 20 years has been faithful in all of the little things, consistent in his dedication to serving God and others, but has not suffered major setbacks or been privileged to experience something monumental?

both the big and the little things have an incredible effect on who we are, but more importantly, who we chose to be.  we must pay proper respect to the small things in our lives, because they may in fact, be what turns the tide of our day to day life experiences.  God will give us everything that we need to face each second of every day, but He does give us free will to react poorly as well.  what is that quote?  who you are when you're hungry, tired and worn down is who you are at your core - and let's be honest, for most of us (if you're a food-holic, high maintenance sleeper who can get crabby fast like me, well, good luck...), that's not exactly the nicest person.

the cliche answer to it all? your life is what you make it!  life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do about it (as my very wise husband always tells me).