The Big Picture

This subject came to me coincidentally in various situations over the past three consecutive days.

I attended a simple training on Friday on customer relationship management. Somehow or rather, the facilitator touches upon the three basic steps towards success. As many will find, these principles not new. Here it goes…

1) Know the outcome – The BIG picture.
2) Use your visual, auditory & kinesthetic senses to identify signs ahead.
3) Have the flexibility to change and adapt in order to reach your goal.

I wasn’t really a fan of self-help advice like this. Maybe the ambitious part of me does not exist! But I do wonder what exactly is the big picture that I would like to have. Sorting this out can be frustrating and a pain for me, as besides the milestones and little goals that I can think of, I was never able to successfully conjure up a BIG picture in my life, no matter how hard I try. The idea of visualizing or fantasizing a BIG picture always tick me off, either I find the outcome too materialistic, lack of personal feel, not satisfying to the soul or something that is not close enough to my heart. Perhaps, my ability to creatively think out of the box and imagine anything is incredibly poor. Perhaps, the reality of life have sucked dry my creative brain juice. Sometime, I gets dizzy and confused, going round and round always trying to find a solution and answer, sometimes I feel I am in a life deadlock.

A car, huge house, a lovely husband? Or be soulfully happy and live simple? I need an image which is higher, larger, deeper, more meaningful and authentic than this! Surely there is more to life than just claiming all these?

So you see, I cannot but reprimand myself for being a failure and lacking the persistence to pursue a Big picture for myself. I feel so ashamed.

On Saturday, I sat in for the church sermon with this question mark shelved to the back burner of my mind, hoping to relax for some lovely hymns and inspiring words of God. Then a message flashed across the screen as Pastor present the topic of the day - The Big picture. Not again. I shifted uneasily in my seat, wondering why the same subject appeared again in front of me.

The pastor rumbled off with quotes and stories from the revelations chapter and spoke about life beyond eternity, all of which I happily tune in to. The sermon was inspiring and receives spontaneous applause from the audience. I left the church feeling even closer to God. God is good, I thought.

On Sunday, I decided to continue reading a book that I have picked up from the library. As I finished off the first paragraph of chapter two, I was startled by the next paragraph heading as it read – The larger Scene (isn't this synomonous to the Big picture?). As I read on, the following words resonate in my heart :

Jan Winebrenner wrote :

“Most of the time, there is no easy answers. Often, there are no answers at all. We stew in confusion and shout our “whys.”

Later on, she wrote about the truth :

“When we encounter God, in His transcendent glory, nothing else matters. Hearing His voice, actually experiencing communion with Him, removes all other yearnings – for answers, for explanations, for anything but God himself. We don’t expect this. We don’t even know we want it! But when catastrophe has cut us off from all other comfort, when God Himself enters our experience, His transcendent majesty dwarfs all other comforts, His voice silences all other voices ,and His love overwhelms all other loves. We find out, for the first time in our lives, that it is God who we want. It is God who we crave and desire; it is only God who can satisfy us. "

“Always, always, he surpasses our imagination. He is beyond our ability to fully understand. Always, He ultimately exceeds our hopes and dreams.

Every gesture, every contact God initiates with us comes from his Transcendent nature. Sometimes we will understand; sometimes we won’t. "

Is this His message for me to listen to His words? The directives he sent about the counsel he has for me. The truth that he laid for me, and his urging me to trust again in whatever circumstances? A reminder again of His sovereign kindness and loving grace?

Is this the blueprint that form the big picture deliberately make known to my soul by the Holy Spirit to guide my life and thoughts? Seems like it.

As He says : Let us not focus on the matter. All is Vanity. Psalm 37 1:6