They say not to sweat the small stuff, but it is often the little things that get under our skin: the rude driver at the lights, the long queue at the bank, the shocking price of butter.
It’s the cold caller in the middle of our favourite show, the neighbour mowing the lawn early in the morning again, or the small stain on a brand-new shirt. Each seemingly insignificant annoyance can feel like a tiny stone in our shoe, or a barely-visible splinter in our fingertip – minor discomforts that can get to feel unbearable.
As a young Christian I was taught to suck it up and just keep smiling. I was quoted verses about being patient in affliction, slow to anger, prepared to turn the other cheek. The more I focused on developing the art of bearing the little frustrations, the more I began to behave as though all injustice should be accepted as an inevitable part of life. I began to believe that the best Christian response is always to give in, sit back and do nothing.
