Sermon Resources on pettiness

Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.

In the mid-2000s, a Trans-Atlantic movement emerged, characterized by a rejection of organized religion and the ascent of what came to be known as the “New Atheism.” This trend gained notable traction...

One saint used to say that she was the type of woman who advances more rapidly when she is drawn by love than when driven by fear. She was perceptive enough to know that we are all that type of person...

Lord—Creator, Savior and Sustainer: You called our names and we answered. When we were lost—You found us. When we were sick—You healed us. When we were blind—You opened our eyes. When we were dea...

The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings.

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of others.

I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels.

Courtesy is only a thin veneer on the general selfishness.

It's important to keep in mind that the lawyerly and perfectionist false self is a protective mechanism for his feelings of not being good enough. Perhaps he was criticized for not being a “good b...

Perfectionism means that you try not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.

Though beauty gives you a weird sense of entitlement, it's rather frightening and threatening to have others ascribe such importance to something you know you're just renting for a while.

Constantly choose rather to want less, than to have more.

A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.

The attentions of others matter to us because we are afflicted by a congenital uncertainty as to our own value, as a result of which affliction we tend to allow others’ appraisals to play a determinin...

My devotion to niceness has won me a lot of acceptance and praise, but it has also inhibited my courage, fed my self-righteousness, encouraged my inauthenticity, and produced in me a flimsy sweetness ...

Perfection....it functions as a form of myopia, a preoccupation with self-image that can stunt emotional growth.

Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Do you remember those birds in Finding Nemo? They get me every time. As they fight for what’s on the ground, they are flying around screaming, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Never has Disney nailed a picture of ...

There’s a charming story about a little boy who made a gingerbread man. He poured his heart into crafting it, carefully decorating it with candy eyes and a cheerful smile. It was his creation, and he ...

Fancy and humor, early and constantly indulged in, may expect an old age overrun with follies.

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude."

Gentleness is an active trait, describing the manner in which we should treat others. Meekness is a passive trait, describing the proper Christian response when others mistreat us.

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.

A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draws outward things to himself.

A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.

I continually find it necessary to guard against that natural love of wealth and grandeur which prompts us always, when we come to apply our general doctrine to our own case, to claim an exception.

In the most basic sense, managing your perfectionism looks like becoming aware of the core impulse all perfectionists reflexively experience: noticing room for improvement—Hmm, this could be better—an...

I lust after recognition, I am desperate to win all the little merit badges and trinkets of my profession, and I am of less real use in this world than any good cleaning lady.