The Bigger Picture

It is so easy for me to get caught up in the day to day living that I forget that there is a bigger picture in life. As I have been worrying (and trying very hard not to) about Andy and then dealing with some new major drama with Josh's soccer team it has been easy for me to focus on the small seemingly significant details of those two issues and see only doom and gloom about life.

But then I watched my four children laughing in the pool and playing together  this afternoon and remembered that it doesn't really matter if Andy makes this soccer team or not. It doesn't really matter if it seems that Josh's team is imploding because of some major shadiness. It doesn't matter if the kids have play dates or not. Those are all little picture problems. 

What matters is the big picture. How well do we interact as a family? How much fun do we have together? Are we being kind and honest and generous with one another? Am I being an example of the kind of woman I want my girls to grow up into or the kind of woman I want my boys to one day marry? Are my kids learning to handle disappointment well? Are they learning to celebrate victories graciously? Are they learning that there are those who have so much less than they do and that it is there job to take care of all people, but especially those in need? Are they learning that they can count on one another no matter what? Are they learning that the little details of life aren't that important? 

One soccer season or team will not make or break my boys, so I shouldn't let myself get caught up in all of the drama that can come along with sports. Andy will find other ventures to pursue or, if he is serious about soccer, will spend this season working to improve his skills. Josh will learn that every professional soccer player has disappointments and setbacks and it is up to him to work through those and come out on the other side a better player.  

I truly believe that how we spend our moments is how we spend our life. I need to remember to not fret about the little things in life because those things don't matter. They really just don't. My moments need to be spent enjoying the big picture ideas. Not worrying about things that will not matter in the long run. Because if I fret over all of the small details of life I am taking the fun out of living. There are always going to be small details to worry about in this life, and wasting precious energy and resources giving those details power over me is just senseless. 

Life is about the big picture.