Joel Osteen Podcast - Don't Make Mountains Out of Molehills

Episode Date: July 1, 2020

Most of the time it's the little foxes—the minor inconveniences in life—that spoil the vine. Friends, don’t make a big deal about things that aren’t a big deal. Let this message encourage you to stay in peace and learn to handle the little things in life.Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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See you. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll leave inspired. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. Enjoy the message. God bless you. It's always our joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store for you. He rewards the people that seek after him. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of you. part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in. And thank you again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about these three people, a Russian, an American, and a blonde. They were talking one day. The Russian proudly said, we were the first ones in space. The Americans said, well, we were the

first ones on the moon. The blonde said, that's nothing. We're going to be the first ones on the sun. The Russian and American, they laughed. Said, what are you talking about? Can't go to the sun? It's too hot, you'll burn up. The blonde said, we're not that dumb. We're going to go at night. All right, hold up your Bible.

Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert.

My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about not making mountains out of mole hills. It's usually not the big things that keep us from being happy. It's the small things. I've heard it said, tornadoes and hurricanes get more news coverage,

but in reality, termites do more damage. The scripture puts it this way. It's the little foxes that spore the vines. Most of the time we're not dealing with some major crisis, like losing a job, a life-threatening illness, or a relationship breaking up. The big things are rare. It's the little inconveniences, like not being able to find your car keys in the morning, or being in a hurry and getting behind a driver going 40 in a 60-mile-an-hour zone. It's the little interruptions, like having to run back to the school and pick up your child's gym bag that he forgot.

or finding out that your mother-in-law is coming in for a surprise two-week visit. It's the little frustrations like your husband not picking up his socks, even though you've asked him to for 27 years, or your wife not leaving the remote control where you can find it. And you're convinced that she does it on purpose. How we handle the little things will determine what kind of life we live. I heard these coal miners talking on a documentary about the thing that's, they feared the most. When they're underground, miles back in those caves, if there was an explosion or the earth shift just a tiny bit, could easily trap them and cut off their air supply.

It's very dangerous. But it's interesting, that's not what they worried about the most. Their greatest fear was something called black lung disease. It's when they inhale the cold dust so long that it coats their lungs and they can no longer breathe. One of the minds, said, it's the small stuff that kills us. He was saying, it's not the big explosions. It's not the caves crashing in. It's not the dangerous equipment that we're working with. It's simply the dust. And that's the way it is many times in life. It's not the major catastrophes that keep us from being happy. It's the seemingly insignificant things that we don't handle correctly. And some people have developed a habit of making mountains out of mold.

hills. They blow everything out of proportion. If they get stuck in traffic, it ruins their whole day. If they can't find their car keys, you would think the world was coming to an end. If their child doesn't clean up his room on time, it's World War III. They make everything a big deal. And they've been doing it so long, it's just natural for them to overreact and make it bigger than it is. And they end up getting themselves upset. I was in a restaurant the other day with my family. And at the table right next to us was a husband and wife. And the lady got a phone call. She said so dramatically, oh, no, you've got to be kidding. I'm so sorry. What are we going to do? I thought for sure she just heard terrible news. Maybe somebody was in an accident. Maybe she found

out somebody had a life-threatening illness. Her husband was just like me. He said, what is it, honey? What is it? She pulled the phone back and whispered, they didn't have any chocolate chips at the grocery store. I thought, my goodness, lady, I don't even know you and my blood pressure shot up 20 points. No telling what yours did, all because they didn't have some chocolate chips. Friends, there are enough big issues in life to deal with without making a big deal out of things that are not a big deal. Keep it in perspective. In the big picture, if you get stuck in traffic, it's not a big deal. if you don't get your favorite parking spot, it's not worth losing your piece over. If the repairman doesn't show up when he promised, let it go.

This too shall pass. I've seen marriages practically split apart because somebody doesn't squeeze the toothpaste the right way. Had a lady tell me one time that she and her husband broke up because she couldn't stand how he chewed ice. We have to realize the more we focus on something, the bigger it becomes. If you focus on what you don't like about that person, you'll get to where you don't see any of their good qualities. That will irritate you more and more, and you will get to where you don't even want to be around them.

You'll forget all about the reasons why you fell in love. And some of you today, this could save a relationship if you would just quit making a big deal out of something that is not a big deal. I used to get so uptight because Victoria wouldn't leave her church when I wanted her to leave. We'd take separate cars on Sunday mornings, and I wanted her to leave at a specific time, so she would not have to hurry and get here in plenty of time to relax before the start of the service. And so I did my best to encourage her and let her know what time I would like for her to leave,

and I'd make sure the keys were out and put the stuff in the car for her. But it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, she still showed up just a few minutes before the opening prayer. I used to have Johnny looking out the back door down the road to see when she's, was coming. The whole time I was uptight, on edge, stressed out. One day I realized I am making a big deal out of something that is not a big deal. She has never once missed the start of the service. If she wants to come with just a few minutes before, there's nothing wrong with. That's not hurting anything. A lot of times, because we have strengths in certain areas, we expect everyone around us to have those same strengths. We expect them to be able to do what we can do,

and if they don't, it frustrates us. We look down on them, and even subconsciously they can feel a sense of disapproval. If we're not careful, we'll go through our whole life trying to, quote, fix people and make them just like us. That one little thing will get bigger and bigger, and before long, it's a source of division that drives us apart. One of the best things I've learned is, God did not bring the people into my life for me to make them just like me.

God wants us to be different. That's why we have different personalities, different strengths, different hobbies, different looks. If we're going to be happy, we've got to learn how to appreciate the differences and not let the little things that we don't like irritate us and cause us to become resentful toward that person. They may do some things that get on your nerves,

but always remember, there are a few things you do that get on their nerves. Nobody is perfect. If we're going to be in relationship with people and enjoy it, we've got to be willing to overlook some things. Just because they don't have your same strengths doesn't mean that they're subpar. They're just different. Now, our assignment is not to fix people. Our assignment is to love people.

My personality type is I'm very structured, very routine. That's one of my strengths. On my desk at home, I like everything perfectly in place. I like my phone in a certain spot. Not two inches here or two inches there. There is an exact place I want it to be. And for years, my office was right outside of our bedroom. From time to time, when I wasn't in there,

Victoria would come in and she would use the telephone. And just naturally, she would pull it closer to the front of the desk so she could dial. And she wouldn't always put it back in the exact right place. When I'd go in and see that it was an, a little bit out of place, I'd get so stressed out. I think, why don't these people leave my things alone? And if they use it, I wish they'd just put it back. I got so paranoid about it.

I used to go through the house just to check to see if my phone was in the exact right place. Like an old mother hen. And if it wasn't, I would start harping and bringing all this tension into the home. Not because somebody tore up the furniture. not because somebody stayed out all night, simply because somebody moved my phone two inches. I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Never forget, one day I went in the office, my desk was out of place, and I started complaining, God, when are you ever going to change these people?

God, when are they ever going to leave my stuff alone? I heard a voice right down in here saying, Joel, I'm going to change them as soon as you get over it. I thought, now, was that God or the devil? but sometimes we're waiting for other people to change, all the while God is waiting for us to change. He's waiting for us to get over it and quit making a big deal out of something that's not a big deal. And some of you, like I was, you're making mountains out of mole hills, and it's bringing unnecessary stress that's creating tension, division, disharmony in the home. If you would make these simple changes and quit blowing things out of it,

out of proportioning, quit losing your cool over things that don't matter, you would not only enjoy your life more, but you'd see the people you're in relationship with come up to a higher level. So I've learned people don't change by us nagging, complaining, harping, looking down on. That doesn't motivate anyone to want to do better. That takes away all their enthusiasm. But when you encourage people, when you're kind in understanding, when you make allowances for weaknesses. When you overlook little things that could irritate you, you're sowing a seed for God to change them. Every one of you has specific strengths. There are things that you're very good at. But do you know, if you allow it, your strengths can become your weaknesses. I was so organized

and so overly structured that I couldn't even enjoy my life because my phone was two inches out of place. That's out of balance. When I heard that voice saying that I needed a chance, I made a decision that I was going to lighten up and quit being so nitpicky and such a stickler. I'm happy to say today, 20 years later, I never get upset with Victoria moving my phone. She doesn't have a key to my office. I'm just kidding. But too often, we try to fit people into our mold and make them just like us. We think if they would just change, then I wouldn't get upset.

if they would just do it the way I want, then they wouldn't get on my nerves. No, give people room to become who God created them to be. Life is too short to spend it trying to fix everybody. And sure, we should encourage people and help them grow and come up higher. But we have to come to the point where we step back and say, all right, this is who God made them to be. And I'm going to accept them just like they are. And just because they don't have my same strengths, just because they don't mind that the phone is a quarter of an inch off, I'm not going to let that frustrate me. We have to realize the people God

brings into our lives are to complement us and to bring a certain flavor that makes our life more interesting. But if we view these differences in a negative light and we allow them to annoy us, then our life will not be near as fulfilled as it could be. I know if Victoria was just like me, our home would not be nearly as fun because I'm so organized and so structured, I can can do the same thing the same way again and again. But victorious is very spontaneous. She keeps our house fresh and fun and exciting. I've learned you've got to focus on a person's strengths and learn to make allowances for their weaknesses. And realize just because they're not like you doesn't mean they're wrong. They're just different. Every person has little quirks and

peculiar things that we can get on our nerves if we let it. But we've got to be bigger than that to where we overlook those things and we focus on their good qualities. As long as I've known Victoria, she's always been a great driver. She's never had an accident, never gotten a ticket. But one thing she does used to really bother me. When she's driving down the freeway, instead of keeping the car in the center of the lane, she lines up her right tires close to the right side stripe in the road. And of course, when I'm the passenger, that means I'm the one closest to the other car.

When I look out the window and see that 18-wheeler, and I think to myself, I have never noticed those little pinstripe like that before. That tells me we're too close. And for probably 10 years, every time I would ride with her, I'd go through my same speech. Victoria, you need to keep the car in the center of the lane. It's dangerous over here on and on. Victoria would always move over. She would do her best to please me. But five minutes later, she'd gravitate right back to where she was.

I'd get all uptight again. Please, Victoria, move the car over. I would like to see my grandchildren. I was focused on that one little quirk. And I used to think that it was my assignment in life to straighten her out and to teach her to drive just like I could drive. And so I had her on my potter's wheel. I was making her and molding her into who I thought she should be. One day it dawned on me. That's not my job. That's God. job. I'm not the potter. It was like a light turned on. I heard God saying, Joel, you can get in the car the next 80 years and try to change her, but she's not going to change. You can either lighten up and let her be who I made her to be, or you can spend all your time frustrated and upset trying to change her. That day,

I made a decision to just leave it alone. I quit making a big deal out of something that was not a big deal. after all, she's never had an accident, and I've had two. She's never had a ticket, and I've had a few. But thank God, now I've been delivered. When I ride with her, I don't even think twice. I just get my helmet on and off we go. But you've heard that saying, I'm going to need a ride home today, y'all, somebody. You've heard that saying, don't sweat the small stuff.

Most of the things that upset us and caused us to live all out of sink is the small stuff. Well, I went to church Sunday, but somebody was sitting in my favorite seat. I've been in that seat for 20 years. That's not right. I paid for that seat. No, you're sweating the small stuff. There are 16,000 seats. Find another one. Life is too short to get all worked up over something that doesn't really matter. Well, Joel, I'm stressed out today because somebody's talking about me at the office. Let me tell you a secret. Somebody is always talking about you. You just don't know it. Let it go and be happy anyway. I had a mother I was talking to last week and she was very stressed out because her child was still using a pacifier. According to her, it was like six months

later than he should be using it. She's really been out of shape. And I reminded her that I have never seen a 20 year old using a pacifier. This too shall pass. Keep it in perspective. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. And it's good to approach each day in faith, expecting God's favor, yet at the same time realizing everything may not go our way. Everybody may not treat me right today. All my plans may not work out the way I have them scheduled, but I've already decided I am not going to get upset and lose my joy. Friends, life is full of interruptions, inconveniences, things that can cause stress. If we're going to live happy, we've got to draw the line in the sand and say, I am not going to make a big deal today out of anything that's not a big deal. That means I'm not going to get

upset if somebody is parked in my assigned spot. I'm not going to live sour if my children don't like the dinner that I cook them. I'm not going to lose my peace if I go to the hardware store and they're out of the part that I need. I realize that's a minor inconvenience and this two shall pass. Now I've learned that when I'm upset, when I'm stressed out, I'm out of sync with God. I'm out of tune with God. It's not his fault. It's not my circumstances fault. It's not my spouse's fault. It's my own fault. I've let myself get out of balance. And just like you have to retune a piano on a regular basis for it to sound its best, you have to retune your life. You've got to come back to that place of peace and, finally.

out what's stealing your joy? Take inventory. Are you making big deals out of things that are not a big deal? Are you getting stressed over the traffic, a delay and inconvenience? Are you trying to change everybody, allowing their weaknesses to frustrate you? Are you blowing situations out of proportion? If we're going to stay in tune and be our best each day, we have to make adjustments on a daily basis. In other words, at the grocery store, somebody is really, to you. No big deal. I'm not going to get upset. They're having a bad day. I'm going to stay in tune. You get out to your car and realize that you left your lights on. Now it won't start. Don't overreact. Don't blow it out of proportion. Stay in tune. God is still on the throne. Somebody's going to be

there to help you. You're on the freeway in a hurry to get to the airport. You've got to catch a flight. And you get behind the slowest driver in North America. When you change lanes, that lane slows down. Looks like it's following you. Just relax. it's not worth getting your blood pressure up over. Keep it in perspective. Even if you were to miss that flight, if you believe that God is directing your steps, then you know that where you are is where you're supposed to be.

That delay could be keeping you from an accident. That missed flight may cause you to meet someone that God's been wanting you to meet a divine connection. Stay in tune. Don't sweat the small stuff. And here's the key. When you have a problem, it's good to categorize it. Ask yourself, is this a five-minute problem, a five-hour problem, or a five-year problem? A five-minute

problem would be things like not finding the car keys, burning the toast, getting caught by a train. A five-hour problem would be missing the flight, having to work late. The car won't start. If you'll categorize your problems, I think you'll be amazed at how much stress and frustration and worry we give into over a little five minutes. and five-hour problems. By the end of the day, they're going to be gone. By the time you go to bed that night, it's going to all be cleared up. It's really not worth getting upset over. I heard somebody say, if you can't flee it, don't fight it, just flow with it.

In other words, if you can't change it, just relax, stay in peace, and go with the flow. If you get stuck in traffic, you can't change it. Just flow with it. If you burn the toast, you can't. you can't unburn it. It's over and done. Put in a new piece and move on. If you have to work late and you don't want to, being upset is only going to make it seem like it takes longer. It's just going to make you miserable. That's a five-hour problem. Make a decision you're going to stay in peace and be your best knowing by the time you go to bed is going to all be over and done. I think it's interesting. The Apostle Paul never prayed for every challenge to go away. He prayed.

that God would give him the strength to go through them with a good attitude. Our level of maturity can be seen by how much it takes to get us upset. You've heard the saying, a small pot boils the quickest. That means if we don't have much character, we'll always be stressed out,

making mountains out of mole hills. And if we lose our cool because our child forgot his homework, and we're aggravated because somebody didn't do something at work, we wanted them to and we're upset because the car is making a little funny sound, then we're not passing the test. We've got to grow and mature to the point to where we can say what the Apostle Paul said in Acts 24. None of these things move me. What's amazing is Paul knew in his future

there were challenges, obstacles, heartache. He knew he was even headed for prison. Yet he said, in effect, it's no big deal. I'm not worried about it. I know. I know God is still in control. I have a destiny to fulfill. I can't flee it, so I'm not going to fight it. I'm just going to flow with it. I love the fact that Paul treated big things, even as small things. When you view your challenges from God's perspective, you can reduce them down to size, and even a big problem, you'll see it as a little deal. If we're not going to make mountains out of mole hills, we've got to learn to lighten up and see the humor in life. It was an a hotel the other day and I got up early in the morning and I called room service to order Victoria

some coffee and nobody answered. We had to catch a flight real soon and so I put on some gym shorts and a t-shirt and I ran downstairs to see if I could get her some coffee and a lot of times the hotel will have free coffee. When I got off the elevator over to the left by some ballrooms, I saw several tables and they had big containers of coffee and so I went and got Victoria cup and put in it what she likes. As I was walking back to the elevator, I heard this lady's voice say very sternly, excuse me, sir, that will be $3. I turned around, kind of laughed and said, oh, I'm sorry.

I thought it was free. Can I put this charge on my hotel room? She was still kind of aggravated. She said, no, sir, you may not. We're not associated with the hotel. It'll be $3 in cash. Well, I didn't have any cash. And I said, well, let me run up to my room real quick and I'll bring it right back down.

She looked at me and said, do I know you're going to come back? I said, look at this face. Would I lie to you? I'm so innocent. I promise I'll come back. She said, no, sir, you need to leave something. And so I said, well, I'll leave the coffee. She said, no, you've already bought that. I can't reuse that. You need to leave something else. I only had a t-shirt, gym shorts and tennis shoes. I wasn't going to leave my tennis shoes. I wasn't going to leave my t-shirt. And I sure wasn't going to leave my gym shorts. She finally said, all right, well, let me go check with my manager and see what we need to do. As soon as she got, got out of my sight, I ran to my hotel room as fast as I could. I came back down. When I got

there, she said, I was just about to come looking for you. I thought, dear Lord, lady, what are you doing selling coffee? You need to be working for the FBI. I paid her my $3. And just as I was about to leave, she said, hey, wait a minute. Aren't you that minister? I said, no, ma'am, I'm a dentist. I wasn't about to tell her who I was. I repented later. What am I saying? Instead of getting bent out of shape, I forgot what I'm saying, y'all. Instead of getting bent out of shape, see the humor in life.

Don't blow things out of proportion. Don't overreact. That was a five-minute problem that wasn't worth getting stressed out over. Friends, life is too short to go around making mountains out of mole hills. So somebody didn't treat you right. Big deal. Let it go. Stay in tune. So your plans didn't work out. You got delayed. Big deal. God's directing your steps. Just flow with it. Maybe you've got a tough week ahead of you. But instead of making it bigger by

dreading it, do like the Apostle Paul. See it from God's perspective. Reduce it down to size. God is still on the throne. And some of you today, you'd see your life go to a new level if you'd just quit making a big deal out of things that are not a big deal. Remember, it's not our job to make everybody around us just like us. Give them the freedom to become who God's created them to be. The next time you have a challenge, ask yourself, is this a five minute, a five hour? Even a five month, that's not worth living stressed out over. Get up in the morning and say to yourself, I will not make a big deal out of anything that's not a big deal today. If you do that, you're passing the test. No matter what comes your way, you'll be able to say with the

Apostle Paul, none of these things move me. You'll not. You'll not. You'll not. You'll not, you're only be happier and more fulfilled, but your relationships will come up to a higher level. And I believe and declare you will become everything God's created you to be, and you will have everything God intended for you to have. Amen. Do you receive it today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He'll take your places that you've never dreamed up.

Thank you for listening to the Joel Osteen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit joelosteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time. More than ever before, people are turning to the church for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill-equipped to help. That is, until now. Join nearly 50,000 people, just like you, who've enrolled in the mental health coach training program and become equipped to help. For a limited time, apply for a full tuition

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