Pay Attention to the Details
“For if you keep silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14 NASB
As I reflect back on the past year, I’m reminded over and over again how God is in the details of our lives. There is not the tiniest thing that happens that God does not see. There is not a moment of my day that God does not go before me in. God is in the details.
My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in November of 2017. She went through aggressive treatment and surgery and completely recovered. God was in the details. In November of 2020, she had a positive CT scan and we found ourselves back at the mayo clinic, once again undergoing surgery. The CT scan showed two small tumors. When the surgeon got into the surgery, she discovered the two tumors were benign, but something looked “off” in her intestines. So, the surgeon removed her intestines and went millimeter by millimeter through them and discovered a five-inch section that was cancerous. This section did not show up on the CT scan. If the tumors hadn’t shown up, the cancer in my mom’s intestine wouldn’t have been discovered until it was too late. The surgeon was able to remove 100% of the cancer. God is in the details.
This season with my mom reminded me to pay attention to the details because I will find God there. I don’t know about you, but I can get lost in the details. I can get so nearsighted by what I’m going through that I forget to look around me and see what God is doing. The details can blind me from God’s hand at work. I need to pay attention to the details with the intent of finding God there.
As we look back over 2020, our first thought, my first thought, is thank God that year is over. I never want to live 2020 again. What a hot mess we were in; physically exhausted, emotionally drained, spent in every way. Our economy was a bust, people lost jobs, our children were emotionally and physically “sheltered” to a point of detriment. Many people died. It was the roughest year for so many. It felt at times, if we are honest, like God had removed His hand, wasn’t present, wasn’t in 2020. But we know that is not true. What if 2020 was all about the church being repositioned? What if 2020 was all about God showing us once again that He is in the details. What if 2020 was all about us having the eyes to see that we were perhaps “raised up” for such a time as this? A time of a pandemic. A time of Covid. A time of being the hands and feet of Jesus to a very lost world. A time of learning to think outside the box and get creative on how to do church. Such a time as figuring out how to have community when we can’t gather together.
I love the NASB version of this verse in Esther because it removes the word “queen” and refers to Esther as “royalty.” Oh my word, that excites my heart because you know who else is referred to as royalty in scripture? YOU and I.
“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”
I Peter 2:9 -10 The Message
2020 didn’t take God by surprise, and you were chosen by God to walk it out, right where you are. Why? Because someone needs to be shown the night and day difference God made in your life so they can be filled with the hope that God can make a difference in their life too. For such a time as this, God is in the details.
So, let’s flip the switch on 2020. Thank God we were there to be the light! Thank God for all the ways that people were shown God, that others were shown the difference, that people were moved from nothing to something...because of YOU being where you are.
I believe that our children will never be the same after 2020. They were given family time that they so desperately needed. (I recognize not all children were but I’m praising God for those who had 11 months of Godly parents pouring Jesus into them in a way that they NEVER would have if it weren’t for 2020.)
I believe the church will never be the same after 2020. The church had to get out of its building. They collectively served the community on a whole new level. They figured out a way to share Jesus that didn’t involve people having to come into building. The church became the church. We became the church.
I believe our work will never be the same after 2020. I believe a shift has been made in how we look at work verses the priority of our families, our faith and the things that really matter.
Having this perspective does not make light of what we have lived through, it brings our focus back to the understanding that God is in the details and for such a time as this – He has positioned me, and you, to be where we are! It’s not a mistake, it’s not an afterthought. It’s the details of God’s plan. I don’t know about you, but I want to pay attention to that. I don’t want to miss God in all my frustration, pain, anger, exhaustion of 2020. I want to see God and to be the night and day difference for someone that God has positioned me to be. I don’t want to waste my royalty. How about you?
Lord, help us not to be so overcome by the details that we forget to look for you. Help us not to get sidetracked from your purpose, your calling on our lives, your positioning of us for your work. For you are in the details of our lives! For such a time as this…God, be in my details!
Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. Robin has always had a strong tie to her church, community and work. That tie is in the form of relationships. Her greatest joy is to do life together, encouraging, strengthening and challenging each other to be their very best and reach their full potential. Robin has been the Program Director for Refuge for Women since February 2017. She has overseen all the operations of our safe house and spent her days inside the home building relationships with the residents and helping them not only see their potential, but overcome the obstacles standing in the way of them reaching their potential. For15 years, prior to coming to Refuge for Women, Robin worked in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers. Prior to that, Robin was a Salvation Army officer and served in full time ministry in various locations throughout the Midwest. Robin’s focus was always serving, equipping and developing others. In 2006, the Lord began to work in Robin’s heart and plant a love for women who are trapped in the sex-industry. This passion was formed through Robin’s involvement with student mission trips to Las Vegas. In 2010, Robin began the Hearts for Jackson ministry in Jackson, Michigan reaching out to women who work in strip clubs. Robin’s heart was broken for these women and she started this ministry to bring them hope and love with a goal of showing the love of Jesus in a practical way. Each month, Robin led a group of women from her church into the strip clubs where they simply loved on the women. They brought them gifts, told them they were special & loved and offered a listening ear. Robin brings her heart and passion to Refuge for Women and is excited to be stepping into this new role of City Director where she will be partnering with the local churches, Las Vegas community, and most importantly, Jesus, in this crucial ministry. Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 33 years and currently reside in Henderson, NV. They attend the ChurchLV and they enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children and three grandchildren. Robin holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, also from Spring Arbor University.