Do you take the short view, or the long view? God always takes the long view. He doesn’t have to do the ‘quick fix’ because he already has the big picture view.

I was thinking yesterday about recent conversations with a young friend whom I mentor. When she asks for advise or prayer it is for right now.  She is a young woman with goals and the ability to meet goals but now that she is working, her focus is on surviving the challenges of the day. She is determined to live a life of faith filled influence and integrity.

At times, I see a bit further down the road. I have more experience and am at a point in life where I can ‘look back’ and see how the pieces often fall into place where we weren’t expecting them to fall. But, I too suffer from short sightedness more than I would like. As a planner, I so want to see the entire plan, all God has in store, so I can see how each situation fits into the big picture. God asks me for faith. God knows me well. If I could see the big picture, I’d be asking for supernatural photoshopping…just a tweak here or there.

A real life example

I had a call from my young friend several months ago asking to meet with me. She spoke of struggles with a co-worker who was not respectful of her expertise or opinions.  There was concern that the coworker may be undermining her professional image with clients. She asked that I pray with her for change.

Fast forward a few months. God offered a change. My friend works for a corporate entity with several locations in the area and was moved to a new office. We rejoiced in God’s goodness.

A couple of weeks ago I had a frantic text: “Help! I need to figure out how to find balance. My life is crazy right now.” This was not a surprise.  My friend has a professional career and two babies.  She is fighting Nashville traffic daily. It’s no wonder balance was elusive. We talked about ways to squeeze in time with God and still keep all the balls in the air. I knew it would not be an easy road. I continued to pray for my young friend.

Just a week ago she called to say they had closed her office. She felt certain that the corporate office had this planned when they transferred her, but this information was not shared. She felt betrayed. I learned that she would now have a 4 day workweek. Two days will be close to home. The other two days, the drive will be just a bit further.

Hmm….As we both look back I am starting to see that neither of us was tuned into God’s long term view. Not only was God answering prayer for near term relief, but he was also moving ahead and laying out a path for concerns not yet realized. He was using career to teach. He was using a corporation to work his best in the life of a young woman learning to balance family, faith and career. Rest assured, there are challenges ahead in the new assignment too.

Here’s what I know:

• God sees the big picture, even when we can’t.
• God loves us and cares not only about the short term hurts but the long term plan.  His plan is to grow us into mature and loving women who serve him by serving others.
• Even when it’s hard, we must trust God with our todays and tomorrows. He is trustworthy!  He see’s what we don’t.

When have you had that panic feeling rush over you at work as things seem to spiral out of control in one area or another?  Have you been sure, even for a moment, that the plan is not in your best interest?

Is there someone you can call to pray with you? To provide a supportive, more experienced viewpoint when these breathless life moments happen?