the forest hides behind the trees

I love visionaries. I have known a few in my life, my high school youth pastor being one of them. I am always amazed at the inspiring effect people like him have on me. Every so often, I need to be reminded why I'm doing the what and how. My personality is definitely Type A; details are my speciality. In fact, Heath & I discovered a curious difference in our personalities while we were on a photography date in downtown Dallas. He wanted to get panoramic shots of the downtown skyline, while I was only interested in the up close and personal shots of a mailbox, a sign, or the crisscrossing bars in a fence. My favorite photographs are those that hone in on a certian aspect of the overall picture. Needless to say, the details that I am so interested in and pretty good at noticing tend to narrow my vision. In doing so, I begin to only see the things that are my responsibility and not how crucial they are to the overall picture. Not only that, but I tend to get sloppy in my work.

This is why that I need to be reminded of the why of life.

I had just such an opportunity yesterday. It was my company's annual training day, and we had the pleasure of hearing both of the Co-Founders and the Director of International Leadership speak. This was a new experience for me, since my first day of work was a couple weeks after the training last year. Now I understand a little more why these men have accomplished what they have - they are wonderful visionaries. They see the big picture, and it is constantly the why behind the what of their work. A few minutes into their talks, I remembered first finding out about JE when I was applying for jobs last summer; I was very excited about their mission to "bring the world to young people and the Gospel to the world." It is simple and straightforward. It was a vision I could get behind and support, something that would make my work meaningful and worth doing well.

And I realized yesterday that I have forgotten this very important vision that is the goal of my work Monday thru Friday 9am to 5pm. It's an incredible trajedy that for many months my job has been an isolated project to me. The reality is this: for months I've been doing a lousy job of answering the phones and being the office assitant here just because I forgot the why behind the what. The truth is that my job (however menial it can seem some days) is crucial to the smooth operation of this company, whose mission is to teach the Word of God and disciple young people to do the same through their specific gifts.

Lord help me remember that whatever I do, it ought to be done in Your Name and for Your glory.