How often do we find ourselves becoming wrapped up in the miniscule happenings of the days and weeks? The tiny things that often become mountainous, which, in the bigger picture, are not that huge.
There is a story about the blind men and the elephant, which describes how the men, who had never come across an elephant before, experienced the elephant through touching a different part of it and then telling the others what it was. Each of the men were only able to describe one small part, meaning that they were not able to experience or describe the whole elephant.
This story is a great illustration of where we often miss taking that step back and seeing the bigger picture. Personally, I need to always remind myself to step back and look at the bigger picture. People become so focussed on the general day-to-day things and these can become overwhelming for a number of reasons, which could include lack of sleep, a busy family schedule, work responsibilities, the curve-balls that are thrown in with a pandemic and the repercussions that this has. As adults we find this time quite challenging, wearing on our patience and stressful for ourselves. We often focus on the here and now and the smaller issue at hand, rather than the part this issue plays in the whole picture.
We often find ourselves fretting about the little things. But take heart, God has said in Matthew 11
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
We need refocus and remember to step back and look at the bigger picture. Thinking about how wearing we have found the last couple of years with all the changes, we need to remember how these have impacted our children who are not yet able to rationalise all the new requirements and directions that seem to change so frequently. I know that I battle to keep up sometimes. We need to show our children how to step back and see that bigger picture because focusing on the small can sometimes make you miss the bigger blessing that God has for you.
Janice Pieterse — Secondary Teacher