“As I look back over my life, I find that I got upset too much about things that don’t matter.”

I heard that line twice last week. Two older men, in two different places, reflecting on life came to the same conclusion. Both Christians. Both filled with some regret. Both changing course.

The first man referred to times he got upset in church over what he now called minor issues. By “minor issues” he meant practices in the church that he could not say were in violation of scripture, they were just things he didn’t like. He exploded over these minor issues, causing pain to others and to himself. Looking back, he concluded such minor things don’t matter in the long run.

The second man also reacted negatively to certain matters in the church. His “minor issues” referred to people who insisted on keeping things just the way they were. Since he could not see any biblical reason to keep those customs, he exploded at the people who didn’t want to change, and caused pain to others and to himself. Looking back, he sensed that those minor things didn’t matter in the big picture.

The issues, now in their rear view mirrors, were clearly much smaller than when they first appeared.

Paul makes a similar move in 1 Corinthians. For several chapters he addresses a whole series of problems facing the Corinthian church: factions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, marriage, food offered to idols, veils, eating the Lord’s Supper, and spiritual gifts. Then at the end of this long letter, he finally talks about what is “of first importance,” the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although his earlier issues are all substantial biblical concerns, even among such matters, Paul himself clearly tells them that some issues matter more than others.

Both men surprised me with their comment about “things that don’t matter” in the long run. They challenged and inspired me to examine my own life and my reaction to the “issues.”

Indeed, some things matter more than others.