293 – Big Picture or Little Pieces

#faithbites #faithjourney picture

Some people say you have to look at the big picture to understand life, the universe and everything. Others say that the big picture is too big, too daunting, and you need to take it step by step. For me, I’m an in-betweener. I want the big picture and the small steps as the big picture alone is  overwhelming and the little chunks alone don’t relate.

Today, while working on my special field lit review (#RoadtoEdD) I was frustrated as some sections were overlapping and I was getting bored with the lit review. For me seeing what the end product would look like was essential, so I created a complete outline. I know it will change as I write. But for the first time since I starting on Ed.D. I felt that there was an end in sight. I could see what the final product would look like. Yes, there is so much reading, writing, and thinking to do, but the picture is clearer. I can see the picture and the puzzle pieces to get there. (Hopefully, I won’t have to force the pieces in, but that’s what the glue is for right?).

As is the case in my life, I related this to my faith. I want to know everything that God wants me to do. I want to know his plan for me, my family, the future, everything. And of course, I want it now. At the same time, I have the day to day tasks I need to do to serve him. It is easy to get lost in the daily while hoping for the future. At the same time, it is easy to lose the future while checking off the tasks.

The best illustration is likening the whole Bible to faith, and one verse to a small task. Eventually, I want to understand the whole Bible (my faith) but I will be happy with the verse or chapter (daily worship) as I know it is connected together by his plan.

Scripture

• And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. – Luke 17:6
• And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” – Acts 16:31
• Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

Reflection

If you have never seen a mustard seed it is quite small. But a mustard plant is much a larger. Think about an apple seed turning into a great apple tree. Does the seed know what it will become? Is it concentrating on being the tree or growing? Our faith is like that. We know we will turn into the mustard plant or the apple tree but we don’t need to worry about it. As the Acts and John verse say, we are saved through Jesus. We know what awaits us if we believe in him: peace and eternal salvation. We should concentrate on being the mustard seed and growing. His hands will guide us.

When I go back to looking at my dissertation, if someone told me what it would look like at the end, I’m not sure if that would have helped or hurt. I believe through the process of developing, revising, and getting feedback, I am growing. I know at the end I will earn an EdD and be done with formal learning for the rest of my days. (We’ll maybe, never say never). But having that outline, knowing that end state, and now having all of the little pieces to work on, make me feel more content. I am assembling pieces that I know fit together like the picture on the box 🙂

Charge

Do you believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? If so, don’t fret trying to understand all of him at once. Surrenderr to him and work on those small manageable pieces of your daily worship. Pray, share your story, share his story, have fellowship, and give thanks.