OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS
All I need to say is one simple word: "Walk," and Chloe, our Boston Terrier, is bouncing for joy at the front door. With her adjustable leash connected, we head down our road. Chloe is off and running in every direction. She zigs and zags from one side of our lane to the other. With her nose to the ground, Chloe sniffs out every dog in the neighborhood. She’s constantly on the alert for a cat or chicken to chase... and the queen-mother of all doggie-delights: a disgusting substance she can wallow in. What's amazing about Chloe's walks is the amount of energy she expends. For every mile I walk, she probably covers four. By the time we return home, she plops down in her doggie bed, exhausted.
Know what really wears Chloe out? Not the walk itself. It's sticking her nose in other dog’s business. She worries so much about what all the other neighborhood creatures are up to, she's exhausted when we return.
We share a lot in common with our furry friends. On our journey through life, what wears us out isn’t the tasks God assigns to us. He always supplies the strength we need for each moment of the day. What exhausts us is trying to mind other people’s business. Think of all our worries and concerns. Don't they usually involve other people's business? We fret over what people think of us or the choices our kids make or what kind of mood our boss might be in. We create so much anxiety and stress for ourselves by minding other people’s business.
And if we’re not worried about other people’s business, we’re fretting over God’s business. As if we need to make certain that The Great I AM is or isn’t performing in ways we think He should! God reminds us, “Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job.” (I Thessalonians 4:11). How much stress, how much worry, how much anxiety, would we save ourselves if we practiced these simple instructions? We each have enough individual struggles to manage without minding other people’s business.
In what specific ways would my life be less stressful if I learned to "stay calm, mind your own business and do your own job."
What steps can I take to make this a habit?
"Lord Jesus, make me aware when I'm trying to mind other people's business."