One little imperfection on my desk. 

A small crack with an upturned piece of wood. 

A small piece of wood that catches on my shirt sleeve. 

That catches on my shirt sleeve pretty much any time I do ANYTHING. 

Type. Use my mouse. Answer the phone. Eat my lunch. Write on a post-it. 

One little imperfection on my desk driving me to the brink of insanity. 

It isn’t really the little sharp piece of wood that has my head about to explode, of course. It’s the million and one other things that are nagging for my attention and filling my brain and begging to be done. 

But right now all I can think about is this one little stupid, dumb, annoying, dumb, stupid, tiny, ridiculous, dumb crack in my desk. 

We’ve all heard people sound off the colloquial “It’s the little things in life”, usually in reference to the small little pleasures like getting the parking spot close to the grocery store door, a cup of tea at the end of a long day, or a perfectly organized and put together binder (That one might be just me). 

But it’s the little things that can break us as well. Like that fly that’s been buzzing around your house for days, or the little ticking noise that is suddenly coming from your fan, or the tiny little crack in your desk at work that catches on literally everything you can imagine and all of the things you cannot. 

I think that this is how the enemy chooses to work against us as well. In the little things. Piling them all on top of each other until we break. 

Hitting all of the lights red on the way to work. That one extra task that the boss placed on your already monstrous to-do list. Beginning to use the toilet before realizing the person before you didn’t change the toilet paper roll. 

Ephesians 6 is the chapter about putting on the Armor of God. Verse 16 says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one”.

The enemy is constantly throwing little darts at us to try to distract us from our focus on Jesus. Yes, sometimes it’s the big things that we get catapulted at us. But what tends to make us snap is the one little thing that ends up being the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. And we lose it. One little dart might not seem like much. But picture standing there as dart, after dart, after flaming dart are heaved at you. We lose our temper, our patience, and ultimately lose sight of the one who really has control over it all. 

So, how do we stay focused in the midst of having a million flaming darts thrown our way? Let’s go back to Ephesians 6. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:10-17

God is the one who equips us. Staying close with Him shows us how to put on (and keep on) our armor so that they are the most effective they can be. Just like a soldier must be trained for a battle, we too must be trained to stand the ground we have been called to walk on and claim in the name of Jesus, for His glory. 

So that when the little things come around, we do not fall prey to the hopeless schemes of the devil. While he may have room to play on this earth for the time being, we know the victory is won through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We have been equipped to withstand the darts, the arrows, and the stones that are thrown our way. 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9