Having the Big Picture

The weekend has come and gone and I just thought I’d like to share some things that I learnt over the weekend from Doug Carter.

Doug Carter

About 50 of us had the great privilege of listening to him on Saturday morning and I am just so amazed by how much God permeates Doug’s life. In fact I must say that as he shared his life with us there were many times when I nearly felt like crying because in His stories I saw God’s hope for my own life as I continue to work things out in my life.

Life is tough here on earth and I’m thankful for Doug and the encouragement that he gave me that I can do life with God as my partner.Being positive can be hard to do especially when it seems like everything is going wrong but we always have a choice. Circumstances do not dictate that choice… we do.

I had the opportunity to ask a question so I queried Doug about his secret to being positive all the time and he shared this wonderful story with all of us from his book “Big Picture People” (which I had actually read a year or two ago!). Here goes…

There was once a young boy who dreamed of the day when he could see circus animals on parade. One day he learned that a circus train would stop by in a nearby town and that the animals would walk down Main Street to the large tent. After walking miles, the youngster discovered the streets were so crowded that there was no place to get a good view. The only place to stand was along a tall wood fence bordering the street. His dream of seeing the exotic jungle beasts evaporated. Running along the fence, he found a small knothole. He knelt down and peered through the small hole – only to be overcome with further disappointment. Through the knothole he could only see the legs of giraffes, zebras, and elephants. He dropped his head and began the long walk home.

A gentleman standing nearby observed the lad’s dilemma. He made his way to the boy, placed his hands under the boy’s arms, and lifted him high above the fence. Now the youngster could see the big picture. What a panorama! As he gazed from one end of the street to the other, his heart celebrated. The animals were more beautiful than he had ever imagined.

Doug followed up by giving us the picture of Jesus as he faced the cross. A terrible death awaited him and yet he could still took those steps to Calvary. Why? Because He could see the big picture of God’s redemptive plan for all of us. We can do the same in our own lives if only we realise that there’s a world bigger than what we see in our daily struggles. God loves us too much to give us an easy life but He does promise to be with us no matter what.

I’ve always known that God has a big picture plan for me but often I fail to feel it. Maybe that’s what faith is. Whatever it is I know for certain that there is a bigger picture in my life that God can show me.

If God has a big picture plan for me in His redemptive purpose, I am one hundred and ten percent sure He has a big picture plan for you too.