Though this quote comes from a secular, self-help site, it is an incredibly important truth to keep in mind as we all try to grow in our Christian discipleship. A.W. Tozer expressed a similar thought in this way:
The wise man will simplify his life by going to the center of it. He will look well to the foundations and, having done that, he will not worry about the rest.
Life, as we know it in our painfully intricate civilization, can be deadly unless we learn to distinguish the things that matter from those that do not. It is never the major things that destroy us, but invariably the multitude of trifling things which are mistakenly thought to be of major importance. These are so many that, unless we get out from under them, they will crush us body and soul….
Every believer as well as every minister of Christ must decide whether he will put his emphasis upon the majors or the minors. He must decide whether he will stay by the sober truths which constitute the beating heart of the Scriptures or turn his attention to those marginal doctrines which always bring division and which, at their best, could not help us much on our way to the Celestial City. A.W. Tozer The Next Chapter After the Last, 11,14.
To repeat his key phrase: It is never the major things that destroy us, but invariably the multitude of trifling things which are mistakenly thought to be of major importance.
Oh, it is so important that we learn to distinguish between the two!
The best way to do that is to spend time in God’s Word, looking at what are His priorities for life and how we should be living. Then, we need to take some time to consider, journal, whatever we need to do to make certain our priorities, how we spend our time and money line up with His.
If we need to make changes, we must do that so we are not destroyed by the “multitude of trifling things which are mistakenly thought to be of major importance.”