A Small Picture

The weather has changed, days are getting shorter, and the “new car feel” of being in a new grade has worn off. Typically, there are two sections of a school year that seem to take a toll on students. We are in the middle of the first. The section of time between Parent- Teacher conferences and Thanksgiving. It still feels like the end of the school year is far away, but Christmas isn’t right around every corner. These are the days that everyone needs a reminder to refocus on how we get through all low moments.

Mine came this week when our speaker in the K -2 chapel started her message about Joseph. She began showing multiple pictures to the students. These pictures were microscopic sections of everyday items. The students then answered what they thought they were seeing. Not one student was able to identify the whole picture. Many saw things the same way, but just because a group saw things a certain way didn’t make it correct.

The message for me was simple, don’t let not knowing the whole picture change my trust in God. Joseph’s story reigns true today: Cast away by those closest, authority figures not trusting your honest intent, or waiting for God’s perfect timing. His promises will always come to fruition. As we walk through a time that feels draining, or as the pressures just seem to start, be reminded that you have a small picture of the whole story God is writing.

Partnering in Christ,

Matthew Swank
Dean of Elementary Students