Life is made up of lots of little things and only a few big things that really matter. But today I am pondering the growth potential found in the little things.
As I have been thinking and praying about making all sorts of changes in my life, I had an interesting realization the other day. Even when we are living in the very center of God's will for our lives, we will still have those daily frustrations that drive us crazy. I think sometimes we tend to romanticize the ins and outs of people's lives when they live all out for God. But doing the BIG things doesn't necessarily mean the little things go away. Finding and living out a BHAG won't automatically mean that the line at the Verizon store will be any shorter, the price of groceries any lower, or the reaction of tired children any more pleasant. And for awhile that thought discouraged me a bit.
Then today I was chatting with my wise friend Aly and she said something that spoke profoundly to me where I'm at. She said that maybe Mark and I are in a time of preparation right now. We are coming off the joy and heartache of hosting Sintija, and maybe instead of searching fervently for "the next thing", perhaps God wants us to rest and prepare.
At first I was skeptical. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Aly is right. Maybe the best thing I can do in this time of preparation is to learn how to deal with life's little frustrations with more grace and peace. (Heaven knows today was full of opportunities to practice.) If I spend time practicing faithfulness in the little things and dealing with the daily frustrations gracefully now, I imagine this will help prepare me for whatever big thing God has next.
As I have been thinking and praying about making all sorts of changes in my life, I had an interesting realization the other day. Even when we are living in the very center of God's will for our lives, we will still have those daily frustrations that drive us crazy. I think sometimes we tend to romanticize the ins and outs of people's lives when they live all out for God. But doing the BIG things doesn't necessarily mean the little things go away. Finding and living out a BHAG won't automatically mean that the line at the Verizon store will be any shorter, the price of groceries any lower, or the reaction of tired children any more pleasant. And for awhile that thought discouraged me a bit.
Then today I was chatting with my wise friend Aly and she said something that spoke profoundly to me where I'm at. She said that maybe Mark and I are in a time of preparation right now. We are coming off the joy and heartache of hosting Sintija, and maybe instead of searching fervently for "the next thing", perhaps God wants us to rest and prepare.
At first I was skeptical. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Aly is right. Maybe the best thing I can do in this time of preparation is to learn how to deal with life's little frustrations with more grace and peace. (Heaven knows today was full of opportunities to practice.) If I spend time practicing faithfulness in the little things and dealing with the daily frustrations gracefully now, I imagine this will help prepare me for whatever big thing God has next.
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