There are so many things that we want to accomplish each day, why sweat the small stuff?  

When it comes to raising children, I often hear people say, “You have to pick your battles.”  I tend to agree with choosing to focus on the things you feel are most important.  Allowing some of the smaller less important things to go and focusing on the more important issues at hand.  However, it is important to make sure you focus on some of the issues.  Picking your battles does require you to choose items to focus on!  

For me, when we lived in a ranch-style home it was important to me that the girls’ rooms were presentable.  Not perfect, but not disastrous either!  When we moved into a home with bedrooms on the second floor, having their rooms presentable was no longer my focus.  I had other things that were far more important than bedrooms that only their friends were going to see.  The appearance of their bedrooms became their issue to deal with in whatever manner they chose so long as food and dishes were not present in their rooms at bedtime.

My children were exposed to what I felt was acceptable cleanliness and then had the opportunity to function in their room based on their standards of cleanliness.  I would like their rooms to be presentable at all times, but now that they are teenagers, it is not my priority or my focus.   

I have always enjoyed entertaining friends and family in our home.  One of the reasons that I am able to enjoy entertaining is because I do not sweat the small stuff.  I focus on the people and do my best to make people feel welcome in our home.  

Of course, I prepare some food, have a refrigerator full of beverages, and do some speed cleaning.  However, I do not worry about any of those things.  Yes, I love to have food that people enjoy, but I don’t spend time worrying.  Some people want to make sure they have food left over so they know all their guests have had plenty to eat.  I, on the other hand, am so excited when all the food is gone.  I plan as best as I am able and then I enjoy the party.  If I waited until everything was perfect, I would never have people over!

Agonizing over small details can be paralyzing.  I work on focusing my attention on the big picture.  What is most important?  How can I best allocate my energy to things that will be helpful or useful in moving forward?  When I am feeling no progress, I rework my priorities.

I start by taking the focus off of me and praying for guidance leading me to my intended path.  When I give my worries to God, I regain my focus and my path becomes much clearer.  It is difficult to let go of control, leaving the “small stuff” to work itself out.  Trusting in something greater than yourself makes it much easier!  

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