How to Stay Aware of the Big Picture

hearing god hearing god at work new book overwhelmed Sep 03, 2024

We have a LOT going on! Today we are driving a 20 foot u-haul 860 miles to Nashville area. We need to clean out our house. Over the next 45 days we are traveling to Florida and Alaska and Zimbabwe and Brazil! And we still don't have a rental confirmed, or know what we are doing with our dogs... And more!!!

So how do you see the big picture when you are face to face with a million details? Read or listen to this episode to gain practical keys to help you hearing God at work. It is a chapter from the upcoming book release, Listen Up! Hearing God at work. You can pre-order a signed copy on the link below or grab your copy when it becomes available on Amazon September 14, 2024.

Listen to the podcast here: Heaveninbusiness.com/podcasts/authentic-conversations-with-andy-janine-mason/episodes/2148853420

NEXT STEPS:

1. Pre-order a signed copy of the new book: Heaveninbusiness.com/offers/YTyFSJmF

2. Don't wait, start with a 30 day guide right now: Heaveninbusiness.com/HG30

Staying Aware of the Big Picture

Excerpt from Listen Up! Hearing God at Work by Andy and Janine Mason

As we seek to hear God for the specific details of our task, we must also stay aware of the big picture. The general focus of a results-oriented marketplace professional is… results. We want to know what to do, and we tend towards action. As we listen for God’s direction, we are constantly looking toward the practical action steps we can take in alignment with this. While in that process, we can get so focused on the details that we get lost in the ‘now’ and lose sight of the big picture. We also need to learn to pause during all that we are doing and remember that God is weaving together a masterpiece!

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Imagine you are walking through a forest. You step over roots, stoop under branches, and move around each tree on your way to a distant location. That’s like learning to hear God's voice daily, especially during a challenge.

Now, imagine you are lifted in a helicopter over the forest. The elevation enables you to see the entire panorama. Your perspective changes as you see the end goal, releasing encouragement, clarity, and momentum.

During a challenging time, when Andy was surrounded by a forest of opportunity and uncertainty, he felt overwhelmed. Many people gave him different advice, suggesting endless books to read and directions to take. Andy was putting together new content and designing new courses and was overly busy. Andy’s daily practice is journalling – writing down thoughts and insights from hearing God’s voice while reading Scripture. One day, Andy decided to read back over the previous month of journaling and see what he had been hearing. As he reflected, it became apparent there was an overall picture he had been missing. He had been focused on all the different pieces – the detailed steps - and while each was good on its own, it was a whole other picture together. As Andy reflected overall, he saw the goodness of God weaving all the details together. Andy could now see how God had placed all the people and resources around him to produce a masterful picture!

So, how do you see the big picture while staying focused on the detailed task at hand?

1. Pause

“Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)

Andy loves to trail run. The trail at the back of our house was steep and rocky. If he didn’t pay absolute attention to the trail, he would constantly stumble and hurt himself. One day, Andy sensed God was inviting Him to walk instead of run. Initially, he didn’t appreciate the slower pace, but gradually, he became aware of a perspective that was impossible to see while traveling fast. No longer focused on his feet, Andy noticed the different trees and landscape and heard a range of birds that had been there all along! Slowing down revealed a beauty he had been missing.

For all of us, the first step in staying aware of the big picture is to slow down. Pause. Stop. Intentionally lift your eyes to see what is all around you. On the journey of hearing God at work, this is where daily journaling, processing, and recording what you are hearing is invaluable.

Here are some practical steps to help you pause, slow down, and position yourself for a different perspective:

Go for a walk or run or bike.
Sit in a garden or a place with a garden view.
Intentionally focus on what you can see, smell, and hear.
Take deep breaths, counting to three as you inhale, hold, and exhale.
Do a physical workout to get some of the pent-up energy out of your system.
Pause and become aware of what you sense in your thoughts and spirit.

2. Reflect

Take time to reflect on the lessons you have been learning and what God has been doing on your behalf. Go back over your journal and write down a summary of what you have been hearing over the last 30 days.

Use the following questions to stimulate a conversation with God:

What have I been learning? About God? About myself?

What could God have been teaching me this season that I could never have learned if the situation or circumstances were different?

What is really going on?

Be aware that much more is going on than what involves you. Pain or adversity tends to get us focused on ourselves. If you step back and look around, is something much bigger at play? Rather than looking at what is not happening, reframe the question to say, “What is happening?”

Are the seemingly different situations interconnected?

Are the situations you walk through personally and professionally different aspects of the same lesson? Is there a repeated lesson, opportunity, or conflict?

What have I been hearing?

Review the last few weeks or months and summarize your hearing. Have there been repeated words or themes?

Who has God sent to help me on the journey?

Consider the people around you – not those demanding your time and attention, but those one step outside your immediate circle who have offered help or advice. How have you responded? Are you avoiding or prioritizing wise counselors?

What has God done on my behalf?

As you reflect and remember, what do you see that God has rescued and redeemed you from? What things has He taken care of? Where has He worked things for good? How can you turn that into gratitude?

As you reflect on the situation overall, what themes emerge? What is the bigger picture being revealed?

3. Refocus

Now that you have taken a moment to be still and reflect on the possible bigger picture, how has your perspective changed? What is clearer? What do you need to stop doing, start doing, and keep doing? How will you stay focused on the day-to-day while keeping the big picture in mind? When will you next take an intentional pause?