The little foxes spoil the vine. It’s the small things in life that get to us. We let them eat at us and “peck away” until they’ve done more damage than we ever envisioned them capable of.

Let me begin by apologizing to the ladies, but here comes another sports analogy. Sorry, it’s just something I easily relate to. In sports (as well as in life) many people carry grudges. They remember things that happened the last time they met a certain team or opponent. Something was said after a tackle. A player got blindsided after a play.  Someone made a remark as another player rounded the bases. Maybe that brush back pitch got a little too close for comfort. “Wait until I see you next time!” they say. All the while, they stew over what happened. It motivates everything they do. All their focus and energy is bent on getting even. They in essence become chained to their past. Worse yet, they don’t see their current attitude is keeping them from going forward.

On the flip side, there is a phrase I’ve heard used in sports that I am trying to incorporate into my life. I’ve heard players interviewed after a game, and they will be asked about “that brutal play” during the game. They are asked, “What are you going to do about that?”. The reply comes, “Hey, I leave that stuff on the field”. In other words, I’m not taking it home with me, I’m not going to allow it to occupy my thoughts, and I’m not going to allow it to control my life.

I’ll confess right here…I’ve allowed the little things to get to me all too often. “What? The house just burned down? That’s ok, we’ll deal with it. God will get us through it”. But, if the plans we had for the weekend fall through, or some jerk cuts me off in traffic…. well, LOOK OUT! It’s really pathetic when you think about it, how we CHOOSE to hone in on these petty things and allow them to have such a profound affect on our lives as a result.

It’s funny to me how in Mark Chapter 4 in the Parable of the Sower, the devil is compared to a bird. I liken it to a bird flying after us, sitting on our shoulder, and chirping in our ear about that little “event” that just took place or about what someone said. Like a built in tape recorder, it echoes in our thinking over and over again. Romans 10:17  tells us: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. In the same way, WHATEVER we give ourselves over to hear will increase in value and stature in our thinking. After teaching the parable of the sower, Jesus admonished His followers: Take heed what you hear; with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you, and to you who hear, more will be given.

Be careful not to allow the little things that happen each day to be the center stage of your day.  Don’t allow them to take control of first the moment, then the entire day. We have an agenda from the Father. We need to be about our Father’s business.  We cannot allow the devil or anyone else to sidetrack us. When those things happen in life, identify them quickly, and “trap” them like a fox before your whole “vine of life” is eaten away. Know who you are in Christ…and LEAVE IT ON THE FIELD. It’s really not that important.