Every Single Detail.
I love details. I love knowing what is going to happen and when it’s going to happen. I like feeling prepared. I love planning, and ultimately I confess I like being in control.
There is not anything necessarily wrong with this desire or this gift of planning; however, it prevents me from fully enjoying life sometimes. It can prevent me from trusting others and going with the flow, whether it is in regard to a task that needs to get done or simply a day out with some fun surprises. Further, it can prevent me from trusting God, His plans, His attention to details, and His good intentions for my life.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD bestows grace and favor and honor; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].”
Psalms 84:11-12
As I sit here on my 28th birthday and meditate on this scripture and all that God has done in my life, I am amazed by His goodness. I am amazed by HIS planning skills. I am in awe of HIS attention to detail and how He has taken care of me step by step, every single day and in every season of my life. I have never been without, although sometimes in the moment of whatever situation I am walking through I feel as though I am missing out on those “good” plans and details in the story that, in my pride, I think I could have done better than God Himself.
I hate even writing that sentence, but in reality that is what we are telling God when we do not praise Him and trust Him with all the details of our lives.
His goodness and faithfulness are NOT determined by our thoughts, perspectives, or situations. His character is good. He is righteous. He is faithful. His ways are perfect and higher than ours. His thoughts are greater. Ultimately, His plans are incredible, and we can trust Him.
As I just transitioned to the state of Georgia to a little town called Newnan, I was grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave me to truly see His goodness and character as I prepared to leave my home in Northeast Tennessee.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much time I spent on planning, being concerned about how things were going to get done, trying to figure out all of the little details, and ultimately coming up with all the “perfect” plans. I was proud of all the time I was putting in, and I was confident that everything would work out because I had a plan... or I was at least working on a plan.
Let me just stop and say one word: PRIDE.
My skill set of planning can often lead me to putting trust and confidence in myself and my own works and efforts rather than God Himself.
Over the years, but more specifically to these last few months, I have been learning that God is truly my good, good Father. Scripture says, “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).
As I have clung to these scriptures, seeking to grow in learning to trust my Father deeply as I walked and journeyed through so many unknowns (and still am!), I have learned that He has far better things for me than I could ever think or ask. Immeasurably more. Exceedingly abundantly more. Ephesians 3:20.
What I have found is that even my best plans are nowhere in comparison to His great plans. My attention to detail is very weak in comparison to how microscopic and perfect His detail working is. He is the ONLY one with the full picture and the right perspective. Oh, the amount of time and energy I waste on trying to figure everything out is embarrassing but so very real.
The stories are countless, not only for these last weeks and months, but really over the years of my life, of how He has so sweetly and incredibly gone above and beyond, showing me just how much He sees me, hears me, and knows exactly what my heart needs and when I need it. And what is so humbling is it is not because of anything I have done. It’s not because of my own efforts or works. It is simply because He is good, faithful, and rich in mercy, grace, and love.
Our ultimate purpose in life is to bring God glory. Through our thoughts, our words, our actions. Our talents, our careers, our money, our relationships, our hobbies. Everything! Truth is, everything we have is by His grace (undeserved gift), and He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. Whether we feel like giving it to Him or not, it does not change the truth and the reality. He deserves it all.
So bottom line: God is good, and we can trust His plans and the fact that He has every little detail figured out, so we do not have to worry and be concerned. Even though we may want to worry and try really hard be in control, let us bring our thoughts, worries, concerns, dreams, and desires to Him, for He cares about us and everything we care about. Let us cling to His Word and Truth. And let us truly believe that He is faithful to His promises.
If we truly love someone, then we must be able to trust them and their intentions. We do not have to be worried about what surprise they may have in store for us because we know that they care for us and want the best for us. How enjoyable would life be if you always had to question the intentions of your best friend, your parents, your spouse, or your children? It would be tiring, exhausting, and scary.
Here’s the thing, if we truly love God, we must trust Him with every detail of our lives. We must believe that His intentions for us are good and that we can simply rest in His promises and enjoy the journey. He has some pretty great and exciting adventures in store for each of us. And let’s think, if our purpose in life is to bring God in glory in all that we do, then how much more glory will it bring Him if we truly learn to trust Him with the details of our lives and enjoy the moment and adventure with Him? Every single step of the way.
My prayer for this next year of life, not only for myself but for all of us, is that we would grow deeper in our trusting of the Lord and His intentions for us. I pray that we would encounter Him in new ways and that we would be filled with awe and a deeper love for Him as we learn more about His good and faithful character. May our lives bring Him glory; for this life is a GIFT from Him, and we should thank Him for ALL that the journey involves. Every single detail.
Soli Deo gloria.