In Turkey, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, anyone caught drinking coffee was put to death. It was illegal to hunt camels in Arizona. During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who wore a beard was required to pay a special tax.
These sound pretty silly now as we read them. But somebody must have thought that coffee was bad, camels needed protection, and beards were special. After you get past the chuckle, stop and think. These things were really important to people once. In one case, a person could even be killed! This was serious stuff to them. People took time out of their lives to be concerned.
All of this makes me wonder how much energy and time I spend on things that are of no importance. It may seem big to me at the time. They may seem worth the attention that I give them. Nonetheless, we are all allocated sixty minutes in each hour and no more. What a waste of life itself to spend those minutes on matters of no consequence.
This also brings to mind the matter of priorities. I can say that a matter is first and foremost to be. But what has my behavior indicated that is the most pressing in my thoughts? What does my behavior say I really care about the most. If I have enough self-awareness, my behavior and talk will be consistent. For instance, people have told me, “I believe in God.” The genuine belief in God will result in action. I shall believe exists only as long as the time it takes to say the words.
Then there’s the anxiety and stress I put myself through for something that in years to come may not be of any more significance than coffee, camels, or beards. I’ve worried over petty matters. I have actually asked God in my prayers to do something about nothing. Maybe a part of faith would say, “It does not matter anyway!”
Christian Writer 