So at this point, a question may become relevant. What's the point in looking big picture? Well I think there are a couple reasons. First of all, the big picture is not the little picture. Although life is complicated and is filled with little things that add up to a lot, sometimes people begin to think that those little things are everything... Literally. This doesn't just happen as a child or a teenager, but is something that is written over all stages of life. Adults get caught up in the way their lawns or houses looks. Teenagers get caught up with probably the dumbest stuff. Trust me, I know from being one. I constantly get caught up with little drama within relationships or arguments that stem from school or something of the sort. For children, they are constantly thinking of things little picture because mostly everything is little picture for them. They're too young to see things from a bigger perspective. But the point of all of this is that if we constantly get stuck in the little things, we'll never get to the big things. Our impact becomes bigger if we can think bigger. There are countless examples of people who grow up after high school and don't make lives for themselves because they were too caught up in the little insignificant things of their past experiences. Sometimes we just need to move on. And looking at the big picture can help with that.
The view just posed is a very antagonistic view with probably many flaws in it, but I wanted to bring it to attention because noticing what is big picture and what is small picture is, in my opinion, important. But to raise a point that I think is more relevant is this: God thinks big picture. I'm not talking a year big or even a decade big, I'm saying He thinks your whole life big. He thinks the whole story of humanity big. If we are to believe that we as humans need to understand God and know Him, then it would make sense to be able to gain a small- very small at that- portion of the way he thinks within perspective to a time frame. Sometimes our decisions need to be based on what's good for something that will happen ten years down the road, or maybe it will never be good for us but it will be good for someone else. Also, when we ask God for something, it may not come for an extremely long time. Waiting and patience is virtue because God thinks big picture. He can see the whole map and we only see a small province. To capture this is to be okay with the way things are. After all, godliness with contentedness is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). Gaining God's perspective is monumental. But it could take a lifetime. I wouldn't know, because I just started.
To condense this thought, I challenge you to take advantage of this new year and count your blessings. Be thankful for all that you have. It's your time to be retrospective. Continue to appreciate the little things and realize they're all for the bigger plan that is for the greater good. Don't forget to realize that your life isn't perfect and that there's things that need to be changed, but it's also extremely important to keep positive perspective. This whole post has been about perspective with regard to a time frame. But perspective with regard to positivity versus negativity is a whole other story. That's for another time. For now, realize that God has gifted all of us. We all have something to be thankful for. In the big scheme of things, we're just another person that has a role in the Creator's story of humanity. You have the choice to play a good part. And taking a step back and looking at your part can help you determine the outcome of your role.
