Choose your battles wisely

A good general knows it’s a mistake to try to fight on too many fronts at once; that when you’re “spread out too thin,” you’re vulnerable. And the same is true in life. To avoid undue stress, you must refuse to let every little thing upset you. In other words, choose your battles wisely. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. Before you devote time, energy, and emotion to an issue, ask yourself how important it is, and how much of your time, effort, and energy is appropriate. Try to discern what really matters and focus on those things. Learn the difference between major matters and minor matters. Moses was becoming exhausted because he personally handled every problem, dispute, and crisis that arose among the Israelites. Perhaps he thought he had to do so, since he was the leader of the nation. But his father-in-law said to him, in essence, “You take care of the big things and leave the small stuff to someone else.” He went on to say, “‘If you follow this advice…you will be able to endure the pressures’…Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions” (vv. 23-24 NLT). Stop and think about it: your life already has plenty of stress and strain, so why add more if you can avoid it? When you’re tempted to take on a “battle,” step back and decide if it’s worth it and what it will require from you. Don’t go to war when there are no spoils.