The Bigger Picture

I have a certain affinity in my heart for those in the military. Being raised as a military BRAT this should come as no surprise. There's something about being a member of the Armed Forces- even if only as a dependent. It's a family - something bigger than just one person.
All too frequently I find myself getting caught up in the irritations of the everyday grind. My focus becomes narrow and my world shrinks. My focus becomes me and I become depressed. There so much to do and so little time - how am I ever to enjoy myself? It's a rapidly descending downward spiral.
This is why I firmly believe that as humans we NEED to believe in something bigger than ourselves in order to be truly happy. I mean think about it - if life in its essence were only about you - that would be one of the most boring and the most depressing reasons for existence ever! I couldn't live in the day to day grind under the belief that it was all about me. And when I do, I'm miserable.
My childhood wasn't the easiest or most smooth of childhoods. I had my bumps and bruises. Frequently my father, who was in the military, was gone on TDY or had to work night shifts while my mother covered more slack than I will ever realize existed. Too often I become ungrateful to them for the "lack of their presence" while I was growing up. In truth - they really weren't as absent as I sometimes make them out to be in my head. Oh, they were gone frequently - don't get me wrong, but they always strove to be there and they weren't gone half as often as some kids parents. Nor were they absent simply because they didn't want me or my sisters. They were gone for a bigger purpose.
I seemed to understand this well enough in my childhood. But as I grew older it seems I forgot to be as thankful for my parents and all the hard work they put in to that bigger picture.
For my parents - their bigger picture was two-fold- their country and their God. They both sacrificed themselves and their desires to these pictures. My father's twenty-two years of service in the United States Air Force demanded much of him. He served his country to the best of his ability, making hard decisions and sticking by to see them through. His devotion to God was just as fervent. As a leader in every church we ever attended, both my parents spare time was filled with mentoring those younger who sought godly direction. It was not uncommon for me to walk into our living room during the afternoon to see someone on our couch crying and asking my mom for advice. These two devotions kept them busy - but they did their best and they were never "absent."
More than anything they ever did for anyone else, however, was what they did for my two sisters and me - and that is lead by example. Sure, I didn't realize it at the time, but I'm realizing it now. For a while I was confused by their methods, but now I believe I'm beginning to see a bit more clearly. My parents - through their belief in the bigger picture - taught me to believe in one as well. I am not serving in the military. While my heart will always be with them, for now, that is not where I am suppose to be. For now, my bigger picture is simply, God. (And I'm not the best at that one yet, but I'm working on it.)
Honestly - this is the best and most important bigger picture to have- it is foundational. But beyond that, there are a million other pictures to see. And the value in living for something bigger than yourself is indescribable. It is freeing when life isn't about you. When you start feeling bogged down by life, take a step back and find your bigger picture- what is valuable enough to you that you will devote yourself to it? When you find your bigger picture, I guarantee it will lift your spirits.