It's all in the details. I've been an avid reader all my life. When I was a teen, I'd stop by the library on my way home from high school. I'd choose five or six books to check out and carry home with me. My plans for the weekend were to pile up on my bed or the couch or sit outside and read to my heart's content. Oh, I wasn't going to read all six books, of course. I would read all the first chapters to see which ones caught my attention. It was those little details that either captured my attention or turned me off on the book. No one likes to have to read a book that doesn't draw their interest. The details, including the conflict, are what make a story interesting, wouldn't you say? So it is with our lives, I think.
We each have a caregiving story, and the details are what makes each one of them unique, complex, and interesting. The problem with our stories' personal details is that those are also the little things we have to deal with from day to day. But at least our stories are interesting! Lol.
While the details make our stories interesting, they are also what makes our minds and hearts race most days. There are so many things to deal with it can be easy for our minds to chase them. What's interesting for me is that I often find myself chasing the negative details with my thoughts. Why is that, I wonder? Maybe I am just trying to figure out how to turn them into positives in my life.
Balancing all these details that comprise our interesting stories is not easy. Every moment of every day, we must choose which details we will let our thoughts chase. I found myself flying down the dark path to despair this morning, trying to figure out some things. The good thing was that I recognized it quick enough and was able to shift my thinking and my heart. The bad thing was that I had a little difficulty finding positives. That's when I went to the word.
Paul reminded the Philippians to meditate on things that are lovely, pure, honest, just, and noble. (Phil. 4:8) How easy it is to forget when we become entangled in life's details. I shifted from the more "interesting" details (lol) to the permanent ones. No matter what, God's grace has me today. The devil isn't in the details, as the old saying goes. God is in the details. He is there with His mercy, grace, wisdom, and peace.
Today, I'll remind myself that the Greater One lives in me, and He didn't unplug anything overnight. His peace didn't leak out, and His grace didn't run out. All that He is is still at my disposal and available to help me navigate today. I'll lay aside the details of my story today and let Him carry them as I turn my thoughts toward all He's already done for me. My meditation will be on how He equips me, helps me, keeps me, and carries me as needed. So I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?
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