By Dr. Michael Layne
FOR years I have heard this old adage: A little bit goes a long way. As a child, I often wondered about this statement and what it had to do with me. It really didn’t make any sense to me until I got older.
It seems to me that we wander through this life and experience its ups and downs often wondering why things turned out as they did. If we take a close look at the various episodes of our life we will soon understand that many of the situations started out as small incidental occurrences that led to something that became much bigger than we anticipated.
As a diabetic, I have become aware that my life is not what it used to be. My diet has changed, I am more aware of changes in my body and I find that I am susceptible to infections from time to time. I recently had an issue with one of my little toes where a blister popped up. Within a couple of days, I noticed redness and swelling. I contacted my health care people and got an appointment.
That little blister turned into an infection. Just a small area and that is all it takes. This began a journey of antibiotics and daily wound care of changing dressings. It is a time-consuming effort but it is also taking care of a difficult situation.
So, that term I started out with, A little bit goes a long way, comes to life as in this situation was just a tiny blister and it escalated into something that required a lot of attention and care.
In our personal life, the big issue often started out small. A harmless conversation over a cup of coffee with someone other than your spouse could lead to something harmful for your marriage if left unguarded.
Rev. Billy Graham had a rule that he would never be alone with a woman other than his wife and that kept him from being caught up in something that many ministers have had trouble with; they have seen their family destroyed and it may have started with something small and innocent at the beginning.
God has given us a set of life rules that, if applied, will keep us from sin and destruction, they are called the 10 Commandments. Those are not suggestions. The first three commands are between us and God and the next seven are between we humans and how we are to treat and react to each other. If followed our world ills and woes would be less.
The favorite physician of Queen Victoria once said, “The only remedy to all of life’s ills and woes is through the person and work of Jesus Christ.”
If you sense a “little blister” in your life, pay close attention that it does not become infected with sin and become a large problem to deal with. Don’t allow the small issues become bigger issues that require more time and agony to deal with.
The Bible has a wonderful verse in Song of Solomon 2:15 that echoes this thought: Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.
One day at a time and one step at a time always works well. We often feel overburdened and when that happens we tend to have a “knee-jerk” reaction that may cause more harm than good. Some things need considerable thought.
Sometimes we are faced with a situation that really does require our immediate attention and that’s where we must use wisdom to ascertain when we move quickly or contemplate the situation. The choice is ours to make so, decide today to start making good choices for your life.
Remember, a little bit of wisdom goes a long way toward right decision making.
Dr. Michael Layne is pastor of FaithPoints Church, Indiana and can be reached at www.faithpoints.org
