Molehills vs Mountains: How To Stop Molehills

Blog Series

Helpful Tips for Saving Yourself from Trouble

It is said that you cannot break the laws of God. You can only break yourself against them when you violate them. In this series we are looking at some of the simple and clear “laws of God” – that is to say, “biblical principles” – that we must follow if we do not want to bring very negative cause-effect consequences into our lives.

Do you have a rising molehill that is threatening to become a mountain?

Last week, in looking at Molehills vs Mountains in The Night the Bed Fell, we observed that if we are faithful to deal with something small before it becomes big it will save us from the tyranny of big things and make us eligible for greater things from God.

This week, we ask if there is something accumulating in your life. Is there a molehill in danger of becoming a mountain?”

Is it frustration at work? Maybe it is bad traffic you have to fight on the way to work, or a house that always needs repairs. Maybe it is a difficult parent or parent-in-law, or a sibling, or a neighbor. Or (fill in the blank).

These are comparatively little things. They are not cancer or a terrible accident or a loved one who is self-destructing. They are certainly no more than Jesus put up with on earth.

In 1 Peter 2:19-21 we read, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…”

This passage most directly relates to big things in life. But if so, how much more would it apply to little things? What are the little things that are accumulating in your life until they are in danger of becoming a big thing?

Seven steps to conquering molehills

How do we take it like Jesus would when the little problems of life mount up to become a big thing? Not being an expert on doing it right all the time (as witnessed by my woeful tale last week), I do however learn from my mistakes and I would like to offer seven principles I have learned on how to stop molehills from becoming mountains.

1. Differentiate between what is a big thing and what is a little thing. Often, we treat little things as big things, and trouble mounts up before it really needs to. There aren’t many big things in life. Life, death, health, food, clothing, shelter, relationships. These are some of the big things. Most of the other things are little things. If we admit they are little things, they don’t weigh so much, and don’t add up so fast.

2. Take comfort in the fact that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Not everything is good. But God will use everything for good, and we can take comfort in that.

3. Learn to let go. What does it really matter if I lose a little sleep? What does it matter if I get a nasty cold? What does it matter if a coworker treats me disrespectfully? An eternal perspective works wonders. A hundred years from now, what will it matter?!? When we put things into perspective, we can let go of the little things. It is only because we hold onto them that they begin to weigh us down.

4. Understand the price we pay for little things becoming big things. Because little things are going to happen, we are vulnerable to whatever little thing comes along unless we learn to let them go. We become like a leaf in the wind, helpless to the gusts of little things. Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not get angry at things common or unavoidable.” It’s a biblical principle stated in a helpful way. If we can become clear-eyed about the price we pay if we do not let little things go, it can keep us from being a slave to them.

5. Decide ahead of time that you will not let the little things get you down. Traffic in Atlanta, where I used to live years ago, used to drive me nuts. I drove about an hour to get to work, and it was stop-and-go much of the time with drivers often doing foolish and dangerous things to try to make better progress. I often took it personally, and would arrive at work a tense ball of nerves. Then I would sit down and try to write devotional material from the Bible about how to live the Christian life.

I often thought to myself “This is not right.” So I finally decided that I would try to minister to people as I drove to work. I would look for opportunities to let people in front of me. I would wave at them as they often waved thankfully to me. I would deliberately slow down when I saw that someone needed in line, so they could pull in in front of me. When people merged from an on-ramp, I was the good Samaritan. I thought if I could appear overtly friendly on the road, I might encourage others to do the same. I might be the instigator of a great freeway revival in Atlanta. Sadly, it did nothing to improve the traffic in Atlanta, but it did transform my driving habits, as well as my emotional state.

6. Others are often plagued by little things that become big things, and they are ready to lash out at us when they don’t really mean it. They, themselves, are hurting. I once read, “We ought always to be kind to others, for they may be walking life’s road wounded.” I thought how many times I had been unkind to others, not because I wanted to be unkind, but because I was walking life’s road wounded. It was a balm of healing when someone was kind do me. I decided I could be a balm of healing to others by being kind to them.

7. Finally, and most importantly, memorize Scripture in areas of your weakness, and review them over and over. Also, pray. By sending truth through our minds over and over, and by praying, the Holy Spirit can lift us to levels of patience we will not otherwise know. Possibly get others to pray with you and for you.

Conclusion

Each time the devil tempted Jesus in Matthew 4, Jesus quoted Scripture to him. If that was Jesus’ strategy, how much more ought it to be ours? If we approach the challenge of “little things” with a good attitude, with an eternal perspective, with prayer and Scripture, with creativity and maybe some help from friends, there is almost nothing that can’t be made better.

By following these principles, we can stop molehills from becoming mountains.

In case you’re new here

The entire “Helpful Tips for Saving Yourself from Trouble” series is in the archives, beginning with the first post on July 26, 2022. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives.

In addition, I’m creating a new online membership site, The Change Zone, that will provide information, strategies and resources to help motivated Christians renew their mind and transform their lives. If you would like to learn more about this and get updates to know when The Change Zone will be available, click here.

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