When my family first moved into the house we presently live in, we had to set some rules about where to park our cars. When it’s dark, it’s very difficult to see behind your rig when backing out of the garage.

The family jumped into my CRV one evening to head out for dinner. I backed out at a slow pace, and “Scrunch,” I hit something behind. Stomping on the brake, I exclaimed, “What was that?”

Well, my wife was not thrilled, because I had just dented the front hood of her station wagon. Of course, there was no excuse on my part, but I asked her why she had parked behind me instead of over in her usual spot. She didn’t have a reason and I was already getting upset with myself for not looking better before backing out.

Anytime I feel tense inside, it’s a sign I need to go to God and regain a Love perspective.

To stay calm, I asked myself, “What is most important here: to get bothered by the accident or to stay in a loving and thoughtful frame of mind?”

I knew the answer, but had to fight off temptation to get worked up. It felt easy to go down the destructive route of self-condemnation, accusation, and feelings of guilt.

I prayed to keep in view what I call “The Big Picture.”

The Big Picture, for me, is living a life of Love. When you have Love, you have everything worthwhile and of value, and all else pales in significance.

It’s often tempting to think small things that happen everyday are big things, when they aren’t big things at all.

A dent in the hood of a car is a small thing. It should not be allowed to turn into a big thing.

My relationship to God was undisturbed by that backup mishap, I accepted. God loved me all the same, and my wife loved me just as much too.

I could quickly learn my lesson, stay grateful for life, and let the incident go, which is what I did.

As it turned out, we soon traded the station wagon in for a new car, and the dealer was not concerned about the dent. It was small enough that it did not affect the wagon’s trade-in value, for which I was grateful.

But how often has a similar event happened in your life. Have you ever seen little deals turn into big deals?

Has your ego ever got dented or bent out of shape by someone else’s comment, and then you fumed and fussed for hours, or days about it? Did you make a mistake and continue beating yourself up over it? Did another fall short of your expectations and you resented the outcome? These things ought not to be.

Life is about Love. Life is not about grumbling, grudges, selfishness, ego and mindless ruminating. It’s about reflecting the divine Ego, which is a mind-set of love, forgiveness and instant compassion.

The more we dedicate our existence to living love, the sooner little things stay little things, and don’t become the “big thing.”

The Big Thing is Love. Love is what matters most, and Love is all that adds up in the long run.

Love IS Life.

Live it to the fullest and keep “The Big Picture” perspective. It’s more fun that way!

“The right way wins the right of way, even the way of Truth and Love whereby all our debts are paid, mankind blessed, and God glorified.” Mary Baker Eddy