Monday, October 5, 2009

The Devil's in the Details

Do you ever get so wrapped up in the details of something that you can't really see the big picture? This happens to me quite frequently. Many times this happens to me in my walk with God and in ministry. Because of my job, I do need to pay attention to details, afterall, I am the person that is in charge of implementation, operations, the day-to-day affairs of the church. I wouldn't likely be very good at my job if I didn't pay attention to details. However, many times I get so focused on the details (giving, attendance, events, budgets, etc.) that all I see is what is wrong or what didn't go as planned. I have a hard time seeing what is going right, what God is doing in and through me or in and through Crosswater.

Yesterday my perspective was changed as I had two brief conversations at church separated by about 20 minutes. In the first conversation a friend of mine pointed to the bulletin and asked if I ever get discouraged by the amount that we are behind budget for the year. I responded that I am weekly discouraged by this information (it is not literally weekly but certainly frequently). Approximately 20 minutes later he came back after being one of the counters of the morning offering and told me that he was humbled as he had just counted the most money that he had ever counted for our morning offering. Our current budget deficit was not completely erased by this offering, but it did certainly humble me and change my perspective.

I think satan uses my tendency to focus on the details and my need to focus on details to distract me from God. This week God has shown me that there is more going on than what I typically look at. He is working all around me, He is working all around you too. The challenge for me this week and going forward is to look up from the details, from the bad or negative things around me and see what God is doing because He is working, I just don't always see it. How about you, are you willing to take this challenge too?

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