Little Things

In the busyness of life, we often miss out on the little things. Or, we’re so busy looking at the little things that we miss out on the big picture. After all, it’s the small, tiny brushstrokes that make the whole painting. We’re so busy rushing from one thing to the next that we miss the beauty in the simple things along the way.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this year’s church youth camp was being able to step back from everything and focus on what matters most. Albeit, there were some things that happened that made me lose focus sometimes during that week, and looking back on it, I regret it. I regret not having enjoyed the harsh beauty of that wind-swept sunset the last evening of camp. I regret not noticing the beauty of the sunlight pouring through the leaves of the trees when on my way up and down the hill. I regret not spending more time enjoying every moment instead of being too focused on things that–in the end–don’t really matter. They didn’t matter at camp and they don’t matter now. Things like being so concerned in being in plenty of time for line-up that I didn’t notice how sweetly the birds were singing and how cool the morning was in comparison of how hot it would be later that day. But I digress.

There’s this song that I love. Piano, vocals, and cello. But it’s the words that are the most beautiful. Especially the second verse, which speaks to me the most.

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens,
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness,
The more I see their radiant light. 

~ In the Valley; Sovereign Grace Music

The verse is speaking about when we go through trials that God sends us, too often we focus on the bad things going on around us that we miss seeing the blessings He sends our way.

When we’re so concerned about the things that don’t matter or we’re so caught up in things that might feel important at the time but really aren’t, we miss out in the beauty of the world. We miss out on the beauty of the little things and because of that, we miss the big picture.

A couple days ago I wrote the following in my journal.

“It’s only the deepest darkness that we truly appreciate the light. And sometimes, it’s only then that we notice the beauty of the stars. And perhaps, because of that, they are all the more precious to us.

“In the darkest moments of our lives, the good moments are all the more special. And, often, the good moments are far better than if they had happened in the light moments of our lives.” 

We never think about how beautiful the sun is. We appreciate its warmth, but we can’t stand to look at it for long because we’re blinded. The stars are different. They’re so far away, so distant, so tiny in the darkness of night that we love to look at them, stare at them, make wishes on them. We love them. Almost more than we love the sun. And yet, in a different way.

I don’t know what you all are going through right now. Maybe it’s good, maybe like me, it’s not so good. But the most important thing is not to loose sight of the big picture. Yeah, maybe things really suck for you right now. But please, don’t give up. I almost did once. And I’m glad I didn’t end up going through with it–regardless of how close I was.

No matter how bad things are right now, no matter how dark life seems at this moment, it won’t last forever. It might take a day, it might take years. But the good times will come again.

As Samwise Gamgee said once, “Even the darkness will pass. Morning will come again. And the sun will shine out the more clearer because of it.”

Don’t give up. There’s light still. Don’t lose sight of the little things.

Maybe it’s dark right now. But keep looking at the stars.

Trust God. He knows what He’s doing in your life, and it is for your ultimate good.

~ Cheyenne