Little Things

Why sweat the small stuff? Sometimes just don't - but sometimes the small stuff is evidence of the much bigger stuff underneath and then it is worth sweating. This question came up during a church group about a theological question involving a letter or two - a letter or two in latin or greek - who cares eh? But when that letter or two changes who God ontologically is then it becomes less petty - and remember who God is, who Christ is in God is who we are in Christ (read John 13-17 if you doubt that) - then perhaps the gravity sinks in.

Not that everyone needs to drag around hefty theological debate like a lead weight but just bear with it, have patience with those who try to understand things which most of us simply sail past on our way somewhere else.

But there are small things we can all think about. Small , everyday things which, apparently, may not matter. I smile at a stranger in a grocery store - I do this a lot - perhaps they think I am a crazy person - or perhaps for some people - that is the only positive human contact they will have all day. It is such a small thing. I say good morning to people - I try to ask the clerk how they are. Why not? Why not be nice in little things?

And then, here is the hard one. I try not to say things. I often fail at this - I hear those little, tiny, snippy things come out of my mouth and I am so mad at myself because I know that often, more than the big glaring mistakes, those little,dripping insults, bear witness to who I am inside and that is not a person as filled with love and charity as I might hope.

The argument I pointed to above was called the Arian Controversy and was hammered out at the Council of Nicea in 325. There were two thoughts - Jesus was fully divine and Jesus was not. The two greek words "homoousious" or "homoiousious" are extremely similar - the first translates that Jesus was of one substance with God - ie. is part of God - the second translates that Jesus is just similar to God - ie. that God the Father was there first and then created the Son. What a difference "i" can make - and sneaking it in would be so easy.

What a difference "i" can make and sneaking it in is always so easy. I have many, many times when I have every right too say do or act in certains ways because I am offended or hurt. But whilst these ways may look alluring, whilst sneaking that I in and seeing that maintaining my position might looking similar to where I should be - after all God would want me to stick up for myself - I must also differentiate between self-defence and pulling down another. Between building up and destruction.

That I - which seems such a petty difference - is all the difference in being similar to and the same as God.