Have you ever noticed that it’s the little stuff that can make us crazy? When I think back to the past almost 20 years of marriage, I am amazed by the huge obstacles we have overcome. It seems like we have defied odds at times and come through some pretty difficult circumstances.
Yet it’s the little stuff that can creep up and become mountains. It’s the little stuff that can cause discord. We let small annoyances, pet peeves and bad habits rule our mood. Forget the fact that we overcame the loss of a child through miscarriage…my goodness, if that man doesn’t learn how to wipe off the counter I don’t know what I’ll do!
That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? To know that a marriage could come through a difficult time, yet we get so wrapped up in those things that really make no difference.
I have been guilty of this, perhaps more times than I would like to admit. I have had moments in our marriage where I really thought it was all wrong. How could I possibly live with this man forever? I was looking at all the little stuff and making it into so much more.
Thankfully I have finally come to a point where I can laugh at some of those things that used to annoy me. I used to get really frustrated about the fact that my husband isn’t as organized as I am. He is notorious for not being able to find one of his tools. It could be in his tool room (yes, he actually has a room just for that but it’s filled with other junk), the garage, one of our vehicles, the shed or even on top of the refrigerator.
I used to roll my eyes and make a snide comment about him not being able to find something. “Well if you would just…” But the eye-rolling and comments were not well received…surprise, surprise. So that would cause him to react and then suddenly there was at the very least tension. Sometimes it turned into an argument. But think about it…over the fact that my husband can’t find a tool?
Now we laugh every time he can’t find a tool and I will say, “Did you check the garage? Did you check the…” and we go through the list. I’m not annoyed anymore. Do I think it would do him good to get his tools organized? Sure. But do I allow that to frustrate me? Not anymore.
Think about the little stuff that you allow to creep into your marriage, causing discord. Remember that it’s really not worth it. What bigger things have you overcome? It helps to put everything into perspective.
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