Pettiness – Colossians 3:13

Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Pettiness, unbeneficial always, destructive surely, steals our peace, disrupts our relationships, and keeps us from being fruitful for God’s kingdom. 

Although the Word instructs us to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, …and to regard one another as more important than ourselves,”[1] trivial complaints within the body of Christ abound, reflecting demeanor far from the selfless, humble, considerate example set by our Lord.  We too often spend our time fretting over minutia, over that which should not capture a single thought, let alone consume us.  Tragically, “rather than conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,”[2] we, though we call ourselves Christians, all too frequently act like ungodly persons, biting and devouring each other. 

Our bickering over trifling things is to our great detriment, for dissention within the fellowship of believers is a long way from Christ’s instruction to love others as we love ourselves[3] and to live in harmony in the Lord.[4]  Jesus, jealous for our joy, desiring our peace, longing for our growth, admonishes us to stop expending our strength on that which is not profitable, which includes pettiness since it certainly brings us no profit.  Reflect on the joy of those unencumbered by paltriness of heart, the joy of a forgiving heart, a heart that is not provoked and does not take into account a wrong suffered, a heart that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.[5]

Has another wronged you?  Rejoice!  You have a God-ordained opportunity to be a witness for Christ as you respond with gentleness and understanding, without defending yourself.  Have you been provoked?  Praise God, thanking Him for the privilege of glorifying Christ and the joy of demonstrating His grace by your loving, reverent, spirit-directed response.[6]  Turn aside from the desire to retaliate against offences, deep and shallow alike, and put on a heart of gentleness and reverence.[7]  Give pettiness no place in your thoughts, no fingerhold on your soul.  Forgive the transgressions of others against you, as Christ has forgiven you, and walk in unfettered joy and steadfast peace.  Live in Christ far above the petty conflicts considered so important by the world, for they exact a heavy toll upon those who set their thoughts on them.[8]

I thought the thoughts I shouldn’t think, so subtly at the start.
I verbalized them to a friend; they soon possessed my heart.

The slight seemed trivial at first, barely worth the mention,
But then I pondered it some more, gave it full attention

It made me angry and upset to have been mistreated.
How could I shake the thought of it, having thus been cheated?

Rehearsing how to deal with it, words whirling through my head,
Planning, figuring every night, I laid upon my bed.

The details studied in detail, robbing of needed sleep.
For every time I closed my eyes, into my thoughts they’d creep

However, did this little thing become so big a deal?
Could it possibly account for how miserably I feel?

Enough of fretful pettiness, this game no one can win,
Yet ending’s not as easily done as first conceiving sin.

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[1] Philippians 2:3

[2] Philippians 1:27

[3] Galatians 5:14

[4] Philippians 4:2

[5] 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

[6] 1 Peter 3:13-17

[7] Colossians 3:12

[8] Philippians 4:9