The Bigger Picture
I shared this with the women a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night but I wanted to share it with you because I believe it might be some benefit for you too. I’ve noticed over the years that when God gives someone a special word or encouragement that it’s meant for more than just them. So I’m going to share what God has shown me in hopes it helps you too.

Our family has been through a bit of a rough patch lately and now that it’s hopefully mostly finished, I’ve been reflecting and processing everything because it’s now time to write the narrative - which is the story I will tell myself in the years to come. That broken record we replay over and over in our minds.

Did you know that’s it is in your power to write that narrative yourself? I think most people just use the facts of an event to determine whether it will be filed in the positive or negative category. But facts and feelings are tricky. I can say the same 3 words in different tones of voice and somehow the facts of that conversation change:

No you cant
No you cant

Same words. But because body language and tone of voice play in…we have 2 very different scenarios.

It takes all the information to make a complete and accurate picture of what just happened. So it is your responsibility to take all the pieces, not just those that shout the loudest, and see what exactly is God doing here?

We all know and hopefully accept that God has a grand design for each of our lives. But he gives us a pen, too. We get to narrate those stories and tell the tales of our wins and losses like camp fire stories. And it’s so important that we do, so the others in our lives can gain strength and knowledge in the “how we won” and the “where we went wrong” when we failed.

Negativity can move in really fast sometimes. And if you look closely it’s probably because you haven’t been taking care of yourself spiritually. Or the negativity invades because the problem is just too big for you to solve it on your own. And in that case it’s time to involve some others in your process.

Think of it like this. If you broke your arm you wouldn’t hesitate to go to a doctor for help. Get help!!

We hear all the time about self care, taking long baths with scented goodies, good food with friends, but how do you self care in your spiritual life? Because if you don’t, you cant write a healthy narrative of your life in an unhealthy state. It’s impossible

Are you reading your word?
I know someone says it every week BUT, we live in a world with Bible snippets and half truths. Like, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…,” leaving out the, “That whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” That second part is important.

And when we get into trouble, with half truths as our armor, we can believe we are gonna be disappointed, thinking God didn’t do what he said he would. Lots of people have walked away from God because they just misunderstood something important. Read your Bible for yourself, so you are not relying on someone else’s armor.

Some other tools could be worshipping.
Turn on the music you love, but if you want a more impactful time with God, choose worship music that speaks to the character and nature of God. Not your own emotions, you already know what those are. Worship helps our emotions by focusing them on the right things, and submitting to the Holy Spirit. Turn it up and enjoy. Worship and the word, together, create a beautiful harmony. And the fact that the word already gives life, then through the power of music, our emotions become intertwined with that life.

The people around you matter, too.
They speak life into dead places that you maybe thought were only moderately sick. And choose them wisely: ones that know you, know God, love you, love God, and have your best interests in mind.

Perhaps writing will help you.
I like to write. It helps me lay everything on the table and get an honest look at the state of things.

As you can tell I’ve been talking to Jesus about this a lot because I want my narrative to reflect the truth, not some crazy lie that sends me spiraling into darkness every time I think about it.

I’m not talking about telling myself pretty lies. I’m talking about looking for and remembering when and where the truth showed up in my story!!! Jesus. Because that’s where our true strength comes from. And that’s what I’m looking for…I’m looking for the bigger picture.

In this search God showed me a picture and spoke some words that are very powerful for me. I hope you feel the same way.

I was watching the fireworks this 4th of July, just sitting in my chair, with a tailgate full of grandchildren. I was enjoying my family and the show, and I could feel Jesus near and I just knew he wanted to show me some things. I started hearing the song very quietly, “and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night…”

In my mind I was transported back to the war these fireworks represent. I saw the bombs bursting everywhere felt each blast in my chest. There were bullets whizzing near my ear. The blasts were so loud and it deafened me. There was chaos all around me. It was dark and smokey and cold. The destruction of the bombs was everywhere, bodies torn apart, blood and mud staining everything.

I felt the worry of all the mothers, sisters, and daughters waiting to hear if their son, father, or husband was okay. I felt the fear of the men in that battle, hungry and dirty, seeing their friends dying, and wondering if they would make it through the day. It was bloody, smelly, muddy, and terrifying. I felt the grief for those lost in the fighting and heard the loud cries of those in mourning.

Then we came back to present day. I looked around me and saw people celebrating, music, great food, children clapping, and all the ooos and aaahs, and the bombs that once destroyed, were now a beautiful display of fireworks.

I imagine the people that were stuck in battle would not think, ”Some day this will be a beautiful memory.” They probably thought it was so terrible that nothing good could ever come from it. Life was changed for them forever and nothing could ever be right again. And maybe it wasn’t for them.

They had no idea that their sacrifice would mean freedom to the generations that followed. And I’m sure they certainly never imagined a national holiday with all the festivities in honor of that. For 200 years so far, that they would never see.

Now switch gears:
Can you imagine the disciples after Jesus death. Guilt ridden grief stricken. You know the enemy didn’t miss out on the opportunity to come whisper into their ears. You know the devil said to them “You failed and nothing has changed.” And they felt it.

Can you imagine how Peter felt every time the rooster crowed? Every day, reminding him of his biggest regret? They probably thought things could never be right again. Their minds were full of awful memories that felt permanent, wondering how it could all go so wrong.

They were all in. They left their lives and comfort zones to go on the biggest adventure in the history of mankind. I’m sure they thought they believed everything He told them. They walked with him daily for 3 years and experienced miracles and wonders we have never seen.

Except he had told them, many times of his impending death, but they just didn’t understand what he meant, what his true focus was. They had no understanding of the magnitude in his plan. Because we filter everything through “our” experiences, not what is actually happening right in front of our eyes.

Jesus was, and still is, playing a long game, not just taking care of the generation he was currently dealing with. We get so consumed with what we see and what we want that our focus lands on the wrong spot so we miss important things.

Three days later they got to see just a sparkle of the glory Jesus has in store. Jesus revealed and maybe they finally understood that his focus was not on politics of the day or making anyone’s day to day life easier. His purpose was bigger than just healing everyone.

His focus was all of humanity, from beginning to end. Not just the few people chosen to walk beside him.

That’s the moment in history when we all get introduced to the bigger picture. Something that we still can only see in part…FOR NOW

Once upon a time I thought planning for my kids college education was looking at the long game. Maybe planning for retirement. And I felt like the big cheese for being so forward thinking.

I want to show you 4 areas you might want to refine in your life… if you want to see the bigger picture for your life.

1. Focus
Our focus is incredibly important. It can work like a magnifying glass. What filter are you looking through when you look at your life? How does your world look when you put on your pain filter? How about bad experiences? Because they affect what you see. Look at you life through your past? Not fun. Your dreams and plans? What about when you look through Your ambition? And Your ministry? All these filters cloud the picture that God has painted for us. Because it’s about WhT w want to see.

We have to look through the word of God. Because it tells you the focus of the Creator. What are his plans? What did God dream for you in your creation? Have you asked Him?

There is a spiritual aspect and consequence to every natural thing. Where your eyes look is what your heart will record for later. Are you recording facts for later, or are you looking for the nudging of the father for your greater purpose?

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations;

All through scripture God whispers about his desire for humanity. He lays out a path to keep us safe and on track for His purpose in this time. And his promises are for 1000 generations. Have you prayed blessings on your family and friends? Your children and grandchildren? Unto 1000 generations? Have you prayed that your victories and suffering bless those that come after you in some way? Can you imagine your worst day blessing someone? Or redirecting someone’s path, changing their eternity.
Our focus directs our feet and all the little feet that follow.

Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established

Sometimes when things get crazy in life, you just have to get up. You need to find someone else in need and take the focus off your problems and become the solution to someone else’s problem. It will give you some room in your head to allow God to establish a new thought or filter. What are you working for? Where is your focus?

Can you imagine the disciples when they all heard that Jesus was alive again. Logic was probably their first response. Their first thought was probably, “He can’t be, I watched him die. There is nothing left.” It probably hurt a little to hear people talking about their friend. Then a little glimmer of hope probably started to grow. Momentum takes hold and they run to him because they need to know if it’s true.

They saw the many miracles, saw him raise people from the dead. But he was gone now. Right. But what if logic is wrong here?

Imagine when Jesus proved to doubting Thomas that he is in fact back from the dead, scars and all, and forgives Peter for denying him. Every logical thing they have ever learned is now history. Every word from the enemy is now decimated. You know they started thinking of all the things that “could be.”

2. Hope
A few years ago our home flooded in hurricane Harvey. We lost pretty much everything we owned. My husband had just had a heart procedure done a few days prior so what he really needed to do was rest. There was a ton of work to do busting out walls and putting ruined belongings on the street to be picked up. So I was a little stressed. One night, I was cooking hot dogs, which is my least favorite food, so I was in a mood. I reached for a wooden spoon and realized I didn’t own one anymore. I just started to cry in my hot dogs. I felt so forgotten by God. And I asked him, “Have you forgotten about me completely?”

A friend called about that time. She was on her way, bringing some cleaning supplies for us. Paper towels, bleach, you know. She came bursting in with an arm load of things and pushed a giant bag of clothes into my hands. Later that night I opened the bag and looked through the clothes she brought. They were great, so I kept digging. In the bottom of the bag was a wooden spoon. I called her and asked her, “Why did you put a wooden spoon in the bag?” She said she didn’t put a spoon in the bag. I know who did.

Hope gives the courage needed to get up and try again. Hope that things could be different this time, hope that everything will be okay. That we are not forgotten. Without hope we are often lying in bed looking at the underside of the blanket without the will to move, listening to the lies of the enemy. But hope, even borrowed hope, can bring a momentum that will propel you into your beautifully designed future, and bring others with you. Why? Because it’s contagious.

David famously said in Psalm 27:1
I would have given up hope had I not seen the goodness of God in the land of the living.

In the here and now, the goodness of God can bring hope. But you have to look for it. Sometimes you have to really look for it.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That’s my wish for all of us. That we would be so full of hope joy and peace that we would just gush all over people. And that it would change them.

I always loved Romans 8:28 it was my favorite, until I thought Jesus failed me. Big. It says:
And we know, that God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

It was only when I decided to look at the whole verse and not just the favorite part that it became a favorite again. We usually think about this scripture in difficult times. We testify that God has our back when things get hard. Because He does.

I always got hung up in the happy part, “All things work together for our good.” For my good. We like our good. We even define it with things that make us happy, things that seem like they should be good. What could be wrong with that? Surely God wants us to be happy, right? But that’s not what this scripture is about all.

It’s about the bigger picture. God’s picture. God’s plan. God’s purpose. Not ours.

I know it was definitely not my plan. Otherwise I would live a quiet peaceful life as a billion dollar lottery winner, petting goats all day. I bet you have an alternative plan where money is no object and things are simple and easy. If God would just listen to our plan!!! But if he did, we would be weak, lazy, useless, piles of sin. That’s our true nature.

We need to remember that we are his children and HE is the father. He defines what is good and what will be served and when. Adversity builds resolve and muscles.

God has this awesome plan and we GET to be a part of it. Some of you might not be appreciating this grand design when you are the one stuck. If you feel like you’ve not made the progress you think you “should have” made it by now.

Just remember treading water is still exercise. He may have you in an uncomfortable place so you can grow the muscles you will need to carry the next victory. Whatever struggle you’re facing in this season, it’s probably the very thing that’s developing you to carry the weight of your next season. He doesn’t just thrust you into places you’re unprepared for. When you look back at your life, you will see, many of those hard times were training grounds. God created us to be successful.

He designs our strengths and weaknesses, trials and victories, according to what we will need in this lifetime for HIS plan.

He designs these struggles and pains so not only we we get to benefit from them, but the people around us and those that come next by growing into a deep loving reflection of our Savior through and because of this messy imperfect perfect plan. Why? Because he’s a big picture God. But don’t think He misses one tiny detail. That’s not the case at all.

I want you to imagine one more time, the ascension of Jesus. The disciples having to say goodbye to someone they loved dearly. to witness him just float up into the clouds. It’s an awe filled, exciting time. Probably filled with every strong human emotions. They probably are a little afraid, a little sad, and excited. They have been given instructions and now know the way they should go.

But with all the knowledge and experience the disciples had, they still had no clue that the upper room was still coming. Think about all the adventures that we read about now, they didn’t know yet!! God only gives us a little bit of the picture at a time. Because that’s all our minds can carry.

3. Steadfast
You are going to have a day that you want to throw in the towel. We all do. Life is tough. We will all face pain, loss, and want in our lifetime eventually.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

The trial is life. Not a single event. Your entire life. God moves in ordinary, mundane, terrifying, painful, anxious, exciting places. They are all so important, though, because peoples’ lives can be changed by watching you live yours. While doing dishes or mowing grass yelling at your kids. You know you do…

In the ordinary, you can allow God’s love to reign and move. People notice that and it changes them. They notice how you handle a struggle. It can change them. They watch how you handle a win, who gets the credit. It preaches more than your words sometimes.

Isaiah 50:7
For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

In some of the situations we face, we will need clarity from the Lord to move forward, and sometimes we have to just stand and wait on Him, to set your face like flint, like a stone that can’t be moved until it’s purpose is revealed, to stand in the resolve that God is with you so you will be okay, come what may.

R.U. Darby tried his luck drilling gold during the California Gold Rush with his uncle, who owned a license to mine on a small gold deposit. R U. Darby was from Maryland. He and his Uncle headed out to Colorado to drill for gold and strike it rich. After numerous attempts to tap in the vein of gold, they had no luck. They grew discouraged and decided to quit. They gave up and sold their equipment to a junkman.
The junkman saw an opportunity and hired an engineer who discovered the gold vein was only 3 feet from where Darby had stopped drilling. Only three feet left, and Darby would have hit gold.

How many times have you quit right before you hit big? Most people give up way too easily. Steadfastness leads to success.

At the end of my vision Jesus told me He would take my worst day and turn it to something extravagant and beautiful. Like the fireworks. For all to see …

Then He told me, “Don’t lose the context in the glory!!! Don’t loose the blessing of a hard season, all the lessons, when you see the extravagance and beauty it becomes.”

4. Context
Con·text noun
1. the circumstance that forms the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which, it can be fully understood and assessed.

The circumstances that set the stage for your understanding to be complete, your context. The context clarifies the plan. It makes you run and throw yourself at the foot of the cross no matter who is looking, because it leaves you with a full understanding of what’s truly valuable to you.

It takes your focus AND hope AND steadfastness to run with truth.

I will tell you the context of my right now.

The story I’m writing in my head is about the murder of our youngest daughter. She was killed almost 3 years ago and the trial for the man who killed her was last month. It’s been a lot to process. But what I have been asking God is what is the bigger picture? Show me so I can see YOU in all those hard places. And he has.

- Did you know that after the death of a child, a marriage is 8 times more likely to fail than the average failure rate?
- 83 percent of parents become clinically depressed.
- 67% of parents are hospitalized for mental illness
- Addiction rates rise.
- They tell you that the second year of grief is worse than the first and you will crater after the trial.

That’s not part of my story at all. Yes we were devastated, but Jesus walked with us through those dark days, he held us all together. He sent people on the right days to just love on us. He sent provision when I saw no way. He loved us through tears and rage. And y’all, I was mad. Still He never left us. He sent me baby goats to hug. He knew that as a mother my arms were empty and needed to hold something. Love something.

That situation that broke you, that left you feeling like you couldn’t go on. Don’t loose the context and all Jesus did for you. You may have to dig deep on this one.

But when he begins to show you, don’t forget when you are looking at all the good things, that they are a part of a design that’s meant for more than just you. All the suffering and overcoming put us in places we would never go on our own, for the PEOPLE there we would have never otherwise met. The moments that you hated every minute of, the times you felt so alone you just wanted to die, the highest pinnacles of success, the joys that are so overwhelming you feel like bursting, don’t lose the context, that it’s all valuable.

I know your pain is real.
I know your fears feel real too
But I also know a REAL God!!

I know the God that can take a broken person like me who really just wanted to die and bind the wounds, lovingly whisper in my ear, “Get up, we are not done yet.”

I know the God of the past and the future. The only one who understands your right now need. The one who is writing a story so much bigger than you can wrap your mind around. When Jesus shows up and exposes the Truth!! The whole real truth! It’s life changing, history making

This bigger picture I’m talking about is so simple that in our struggling we can miss it completely.

1 Timothy 2:4
He wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

That’s it. Simple

In my vision He showed me how he knits our stories together, taking all the things we didn’t realize were important and weaving them together making things new.

You were created to impact the world around you. Maybe your sufferings will mean spiritual freedom for your coming generations. Maybe your victory will change the direction of a stranger. Maybe your weakness will impact others in your now. Maybe they already have.

Turning your focus outward and helping someone else because you’ve been there, or you recognize that pain, that’s a lesson in truth, because there is a bigger picture.

Jesus can create something wonderful from your truest awful. Just like he was able to knit us together in the womb. He is the master of complex things. Your most complex problem is basic for Him. Our stories strengthen each other and remind us that seasons are temporary. But God’s word is powerful and eternal and it won’t return void

Hebrews 12:12-13
So be made strong, even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed.

I pray divine healing for each of you. That you find a renewed strength in Jesus to correct that inner narrative, to remind yourself of the truth instead of the many lies the enemy would like to keep us all captive to.

I pray you experience the extravagance of God in your lives and it overflows onto those around you. That their lives are changed by your obedience to the cross, that souls come to the Kingdom because your walk is undeniably directed by the Holy Spirit. I proclaim today that God himself sees you and He knows

That He will set a table for you before your enemies. And that YOUR stories are powerful and designed to forever change Liberty County for eternity.

This life we were given is about souls. Everything you see, do and experience is about someone’s soul. They are the most precious to God. He will do whatever it takes to save us. Even to his own death.

Your life, if given over to the plan God himself designed, can be more than powerful. Your obedience could affect 1000 generations. Look for the bigger picture.

Can you Imagine your very worst day. Think of it in your mind right now. Instead of asking why me? Try asking “What are you doing Lord? Where are you in this and what is the bigger picture here?”

2 Samuel 7:18
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far?

Y’all there is absolutely nothing special about me. I am an ordinary woman. Not particularly smart or talented. You may have noticed I stayed pretty close to my notes. That’s because I have experienced a weird traumatic memory loss. I can’t remember certain words at really inconvenient times. I forget all kinds of important things now. It makes speaking in public pretty scary. But it’s getting better every day.

And look what God has done. No divorce or depression. No substance abuse. My surviving children and grandchildren are loving, strong, and mostly extraordinary humans.

I got to be a mom to a beautiful soul, and I’m a better person because I got to share her space. She is living with her Heavenly Father. It’s not the custody arrangement that I wanted, but how can a mom that truely loved her girl, be unhappy that she gets paradise for eternity?

Philippians 1:6
I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus
This bigger plan can be terrifying. It’s really easy to follow Jesus when you think you know where you’re going. It’s a whole other story when you are walking in His plan, and you don’t know what’s next.
I want to leave you with this one last thought
Where in your story have you not trusted Jesus’ plan for your life? Have you missed the bigger picture? When did you lose your focus? Where did you leave your hope? Do you have any steadfastness left? Do you trust Him at all?
You can trust him. He will not leave you. He loves you and took time to create the perfect life experience for you. Good and bad, so you could become every part of the creation he created you to be and go and do all he created you for.

Today I challenge you to take a new step and CONFIDENTLY trust in the Lord. Trust his timing. Quit throwing a fit because it didn’t go your way, and trust the God of your salvation in all things. Trust that the latter will be better than the former.

And we can wait for the fireworks together

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?