What’s More Important in Life, the Big Picture or the Little One?

As far back as I can remember, I believed in God. My version of God didn’t exactly line up with the version Jesus revealed in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John’s Gospels, but the seed was there. There was a time that I honestly didn’t think God wanted to get involved with the details of everyday life. From my vantage point, I saw Him as more of a “Big Picture” type of Creator. In other words, he might intervene and save you a premature death. Or, He might save you from total destitution if things were going poorly. Occasionally, He could pick someone to do something earth shattering, but that was more like winning a lottery of some kind.

Later on, when I read the Bible for myself in my early 20s, I realized that my opinion and what Jesus actually taught painted much different pictures.

For example, Jesus said the hairs on our heads are all numbered. Unless you spiritualize that statement somehow, you can see that the details of our individual existences are important to God. Important enough to number the hairs of our head.

Think about it. In your own life, what things do you personally number of or keep track of? Only the important things, right? Only the details that matter to you. So if God has the hairs of our head all numbered, then keeping track of something as seemingly insignificant as hair must be important to God. If not, why bother numbering them? My point is, if God cares about the smallest details, everything else would have to be included.

I’m talking about this because Jesus clearly taught everyone who had “ears to hear” about faith, hope and love. The prayer of faith and words of faith move mountains. Hope gives us the power to persevere through life’s tests and trails and helps us “see” a positive end result. And love covers a multitude of sins and molds us into the type of person who can truly make a difference.

So the big picture and the little picture are equally important in the eyes of God. In fact, the big picture of your life is actually the compilation of a lot of little pictures.

Your view of God affects you in daily life. There’s no way around it. If you believe God cares about all the details of life, or more specifically – your details, then you realize deep down on the inside that you’re never really alone. Help, guidance and everything else is available for every area of life – no matter what the issue. Your belief will affect your thinking in a positive, uplifting way.

If you believe God only cares about the big picture, then sometimes you won’t be able to help feeling that you’re basically on your own. At least, that’s how you’ll find yourself thinking. Sure, you may believe He’s watching and aware, but active participation and intervention are a long shot to you. In other words, you’re more or less on your own.

Now, according to Jesus’ own words recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the above is not true.

Matthew 6:31-33
(31)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(32)  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
(33)  But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

In today’s language, we might say, “How are we going to pay our bills, put food on the table, pay our taxes, put gas in the car, pay a mortgage or rent, etc.” In other words, without God, there are a lot of things to be worried about. Any number of things could keep you up at night.

If you believe the Bible, however, then you see these situations from a different vantage point.

You’ll believe you can seek God for yourself and these things and situations will start falling into place for you.

For me personally, Matthew 6:33 worked when everything else failed. As a business owner, I’ve had plenty chances to ask, “What should I do now?” So I learned Matthew 6:33 works from experience. Sometimes things seem to be “added to you” a little slower than you’d like, but that’s where patience comes in.

James 1:3-4
(3)  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.
(4)  But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Here’s one more.

Hebrews 11:6
(6)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So why believe in a different version of God from the one Jesus revealed in the Gospel? If you have the opportunity to know Him as a father, why not take it? Jesus introduced God as a Father and personalized Him to the ultimate extent when he said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

That means big or little picture, if you’re in it, have faith God’s in it with you. Fear and worry have no place. That’s one of the reasons the gospel is also known as the GOOD NEWS.

photo credit: The Knowles Gallery via photopin cc