"It's just a sunnah"

Dr. Bilal Philips was once questioned, 

"Our Muslim brothers and sisters are suffering in Palestine, and here you are talking about eating and drinking with the right hand?!" 

He replied (something to the effect of):

"The point is: if you can't implement a #sunnah as simple as drinking with your right hand, then how can you expect to do something more difficult, let alone resolve the issues in Palestine?" 

It makes perfect sense, when you scale up the stakes:

How can we expect big changes to happen in society or our "leaders" to be rectified, if we ourselves refuse to make the small changes within our control? When we ourselves go fatwa shopping, give excuses, or belittle our Prophet's ﷺ guidance as "just a sunnah"? 

The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِذَا أَكَلَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِيَمِينِهِ وَإِذَا شَرِبَ فَلْيَشْرَبْ بِيَمِينِهِ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِشِمَالِهِ وَيَشْرَبُ بِشِمَالِهِ

"When any one of you intends to eat (meal), he should eat with his right hand. and when he (intends) to drink he should drink with his right hand, for shaitan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand." (Muslim) 

Eating and drinking are habits that we do many times every day. Imagine the impact that they have on us in the long run, if we keep on feeding Shaitan and allow his influence to grow. Perhaps this could be one underlying reason why we are so lazy to perform ibadah, and so susceptible to his tricks (e.g. Fatwa shopping & excuses) 

On the other hand, look at the amazing effects of implementing the simple sunnah of saying "Alhamdulillah" every time after we eat or drink something. Imagine the impact on us if Allah is Pleased with us EVERY SINGLE time: 

The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا

"Indeed Allah is pleased with the slave who, upon eating his food or drinking his drink, he praises Him for it." (Muslim) 

It is such a huge mercy from Allah that He made it so easy to earn His Pleasure.

(And just imagine the impact this would have on our children in the long run, if we instill this simple habit!)