“This is annoying!” That is your first thought when you feel a tiny stone in your shoe rubbing against a toe, even if you have socks on. Whether or not you are with company, you must stop. You must interrupt your conversation or your walk and take a minute to remove this stone that is causing distress. Otherwise, you will have distort how you walk to avoid it, leading to other foot issues later.

While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things are extraordinary.

Matt Bevin

Just imagine something so small can cause so much grievance or pain, that it forces us to stop. At least with a pet we can tell it to “sit” or with a child, “behave” sometimes without pausing. But with a stone we must stop and take drastic action – like remove it. Granted, there are some pets and children with whom you must also take drastic action to stop contrary behavior.

If on the other hand you didn’t put on your socks properly and the sewn area is awkwardly rubbing under a toe, it would be uncomfortable but not necessarily a showstopper. To deal with it you wouldn’t remove your sock, but just adjust it.

Could it be that we may regard certain situations in our lives as merely irritants which we can deal with or simply ignore instead of a stone in our shoe which must not just be adjusted but be removed?

Imagine you discovered that a particular person in your life is causing you to forfeit your potential – that’s probably a stone in your shoe. Imagine a habitual thought that causes you to sabotage yourself – that’s probably a stone in your shoe.

Today, identify some stone in your shoe and decide to remove it.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

(NIV, Philippians 4:8)