Notes on Returning No. 5
It’s all in the details. This is true whether it’s good design, a relationship, or a piece of work. The details make or break things. As I’ve been wandering around Texas these past few weeks, I’ve taken ample time to pay close attention to details. The intricate molding on the exteriors of buildings in Historic San Antonio or the delicate stitching on an antique garment. Lately, those details are what have allowed me to slow down and stop rushing from one destination to the next. They pull me out of my head and into the present moment. Observing scenery and colors, or taking in the scent of something like dried lavender in the grocery store, I am able to be in the now.
Years ago, I read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. It’s an extremely insightful book sharing how the past and future are not reality. As the book unfolded, I realized that so much anxiety stems from the fear of what might happen moving forward. It’s the fear of failure, inadequacy, or humiliation. But the truth is, it’s not reality. In fact, so much of what happens inside the mind is only one road of possibilities. You see, God is the God of infinite possibilities. When we are busy making our own “plans,” there is so much we do not consider as possible. However, when we hand the future over to him and stay in the present, allowing him to lead our current moment… the plan unfolds in perfect timing. It also unfolds in ways we couldn’t have orchestrated without Him. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper and not to harm you.” Look at the scripture - the Lord says that HE knows the plans HE has for us. He does not say that we would always know what those plans are or how they will happen.
When we push for our own plans, we are then met with so much resistance. There are more obstacles that we have to clear, more hurdles to jump over, and more persuading that we would have to do. However, when we sit in God’s presence and focus on His word while staying alert to his commands and direction, things flow differently. The Father is a good Father, and he knows exactly what we need when we need it and how to give it to us. He is doing things behind the scenes that we will not understand until he’s ready to reveal them to us. But if we push our own agenda and our own way, we will miss out on the incredible show he’s involving us in. He is the director; we are not. He’s the one who knows it all. We do not.
He never says in the bible that we have to figure it out alone. In fact, he says the opposite. He calls us over and over to submit to His authority, leadership, and know that He loves us. It’s actually so beautiful when we stop trying to do God’s job and just focus on the day in front of us. Anxiety melts away, the details in your environment are noticed, and the grass looks greener. Just rejoice in today. He has it all figured out, and you no longer have to worry about where you are headed. Don’t forget to sign up for Sunday Letters for more inspiration!
