Hangnails are not the most painful or distressing part of life. There are much bigger and more painful problems around each of us. But consider with me the power of a small, regularly occurring annoyance in life… like a hangnail.
Perhaps a bigger example: I have a colleague who worked with a couple in marriage counseling before their eventual divorce. Their reason for divorce? He refused to pick up his dirty socks.
It drove the wife crazy – as it probably would most of us. The more she nagged, the more he dug in his heels and refused to change. Yes, we know the socks are simply a symbol of a bigger problem in the marriage, the problem of feeling unvalued and of a hard heart. But even on their way to the courthouse, their reason was regular dirty socks.
Are a few dirty socks – or even daily dirty socks – worth the pain of a broken marriage?
Small, regular annoyances in life can so easily take over. We obsess about our co-worker finishing the coffee without starting a fresh batch. We complain about our kids forgetting to take out the trash. We wince every time a hangnail catches on our clothes.
Just a few weeks ago, we sat around the table with our loved ones and shared about things we are thankful for as we finished off turkey and pie. But how often on a regular day are you pondering these things for which you are thankful… versus complaining about the hangnail that is bothering you?
I don’t know the small annoyances in your life. But I do know that Satan would love for them to ruin your mind and heart – and they easily can do just that.
I also know that one day, when this world has passed away, Jesus will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, mourning, or pain (Rev. 21:4). These small annoyances today will mean nothing in the long-term. They won’t even be a thought in heaven.
No more death. No more pain. No more hangnails.