The Big Picture

Our son, Pat, called on his way home from attending his church on Sunday and made me promise to listen to the sermon he had just heard when it became available online. No hints of why, just encouragement to listen. Yesterday I had the opportunity to do it.
The teacher- Jake Each. The subject-Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament who was raised to be strong in his faith and who loved his God. Habakkuk dialogued with God and was completely honest in admitting that he just couldn't understand why God was seemingly favoring the wicked and turning His back on His own people.
Habakkuk's mistake here was a familiar one to me. He was focusing on the immediate picture while God saw the big one. I know from personal experience that trying to grasp God's plan can appear puzzling when I focus on my immediate circumstances.
Within Mr. Each's message were some extremely valuable take-aways:
"Faith puts problems in context."
"Our (my) circumstances are what we (I) see in front of us (me). Our (my) faith represents the 'Big Story'."
"Don't live by sight because what I see is limited."
"Our (my) faith brings perspective to our (my) problems."
"Our (my) faith needs to be more real to us (me) than our (my) circumstances."
And the most important truth, in my humble opinion:
"What God says trumps what I see."
My apologies to Jake Each for reducing his excellent message to a few seemingly simple points, but this is how I have learned to roll at my age. I will focus on the big picture in as concise a way as possible before I lose the reminders completely.
Thank you, Pat, for the valuable "heads up" and thank you, Jake Each, for the important reminder to always trust that God's "Big Picture" for me is far better than anything I could ever imagine.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares The Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."-Isaiah 55:8,9 (NIV).

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands."-Isaiah 55:12 (NIV).

On the health front:
No changes. Still scaly.