Petty Problems

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I was supposed to fly home next weekend for my little brother’s thirteenth birthday party. This celebration would have been my first chance in over a month to escape my empty apartment and party with people I love, but COVID-19 canceled that. I found myself blinking back tears because a canceled flight isn’t something to cry about. We live in a world groaning under the weight of unemployment, sickness, and death. What is one canceled flight compared to all that?

Problem Definition

A petty problem is a problem that is relatively insignificant in comparison to others, like a child dropping their ice cream cone or missing the game of the century on live TV. It’s a problem that appears very small to others but looms large in one’s own mind.

I grew up in a loving, middle-class family, excelled academically from the cradle to college, and have never even broken a bone in my body. These facts echo in the back of my mind as I struggle to explain why I suffer such sorrow and anguish of heart. I often wonder if my problems even matter.

Problem Relativity

The issue with considering certain problems petty and others important is that there is no absolute standard for what an important problem is. The weight of a problem varies depending on a variety of factors including stage in life, personality, and circumstances.

A Biblical proverb says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy” (Proverbs 14:10 ESV).  The burden of one’s problem is truly a heart matter. What can be devastating for one person—being defeated in a competition, getting fired from one’s job, or recovering from a physical ailment—can be easily managed by another and vice-versa.

A Listening Ear

However, we live in a saturated world. Tragedy is paraded through our news feeds every morning, and unique economic and social pressures threaten to kill the kindness in even the most tender of hearts. It might be a bit difficult to find someone to listen to your sob story about your beloved barbershop being closed down.

But God loves us so much He has counted every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30).  If God pays attention to issues too petty for most of us to even care about ourselves, it follows that He considers any that have the power to weigh our hearts down.

Conclusion

The book of Psalms says, “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 ESV). He is here to listen if we need to cry over the loss of a loved one or the canceling of a Netflix subscription. For our big God, no problem is too small.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

(1 Peter 5:7 NLT)