In the Details

In the past several months, God has really been teaching me a lesson in regards to the daily details of my life.  I tend to be a planner.  I like knowing what we are intending to do any given day and often when I wake, my thoughts drift toward my plan for the day ahead.   My boys have become accustomed to the daily briefing on what our plans are for the day.  Now, while I believe that there are positives to this quality in my personality, God has been growing me in the small details.  You are probably thinking...."What?  Huh?"

In the past, I could get so worked up if all the details or man-made (aka Julie-made) plans for the day did not go as planned.  I would become stressed out and not real enjoyable to be around.  Ouch!  Confession hurts, but truth heals.  Our beautiful Father is revealing to me that He is in all the details of my life- and that He has them well under control.  So, when traffic is bad, and it takes us longer to run errands than expected- it is okay.  This week started with an unexpected guest making its arrival in our home...a stomach bug.  When it hit me at church on Sunday morning, I saw God's hand in the extra worker that just showed up to help this week which allowed me to come home and rest.  Our precious Savior had a different plan for me on Sunday.  On Monday, I was better but still not ready to tackle all that I would have liked to have done on that day.  Late in the day on Monday, Kendall became ill with our "guest" and changed all our plans for Tuesday. 

Instead of being frustrated in all that I wasn't accomplishing over the past two days, I saw my Father in the details.  He felt we needed extra rest, time to be together and just recover physically.  If I say that I long to be in the Father's will, then I have to trust Him when He changes the plan for the day.  There is freedom in that trust- the stress, concern and worry vanishes when I recognize that my Savior requires something different from me on that day, moment, hour.....  He is in the details, but I must seek Him in them. 

Today I read these words from Job while he was in the midst of hardship and heartache.  His faith is so incredible - that even when his world fell apart, he trusted the Father. 

"But he knows where I am going.  And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.  For I have stayed on God's paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.  I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.  But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?  Whatever he wants to do, he does.  So he will do to me whatever he has planned.  He controls my destiny."  Job 23:10-14 NLT

Even when Job didn't understand what all was happening, he trusted the Father to be in the details of his life.  He knew that God's plans and ways were higher than his.  While I recognize that the challenges are a far cry from that which Job faced, I still believe that the Father is just as much in the details of my life as He was in the details of Job's life.  He is in the details of your life too.  If things are hard right now, just trust Him and continually reflect on His faithfulness and goodness to you in the past.  Ask Him to reveal and show Himself faithful to you now.  If life is going well, still seek Him in the details of your everyday events and have peace when He interrupts your self-made plans. 

Father, give us eyes to see You in the details of our life....