Recently, a friend texted me, “How was your day?”
And I found myself listing all the things. All the details of the day. I did this, then went here, then had this conversation, then took care of that. But as I was typing, I realized—maybe that wasn’t what she was asking me.
I was telling her what I had done. But how was my day?
That made me pause. I had been moving from this to this to this, and now I was replaying it all for her. I could remember the events, the conversations, the things I had handled. But had I stopped to consider God in the midst of any of it?
Have you ever looked at a timeline? The dates and events help us follow what happened and in what order. Sometimes I think that is how I go through my day. This happened, then this, and then this. I can tell you all the details—and all my thoughts about them!
I think of those events as being below the line—the people, the places, the choices, and the circumstances. And I can spend a lot of time down there, trying to sort it all out myself. I replay conversations. I think through decisions. I sort things into categories and try to make sense of everything.
But above the line, I am reminded to ask: Who is God, and what is He doing in the midst of all these details?
The details matter. But if I stay focused on them, I can get bogged down in what happened, what might happen, and what I am going to do about it. My mind is full of the day’s events, but I have hardly stopped to consider the One I am walking with.
As Christians, we want to walk faithfully. We want to stay on the path, to keep going, to not slip up. But sometimes I get so caught up in watching my steps—what I need to do, what I need to handle, what I need to figure out—that I forget to lift my eyes to the One who is leading me.
I am watching my feet, but am I looking to my King?
Hebrews 12:1–2 calls us to run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus. There is a path to walk, but our eyes need to be fixed on Him.
I think of Martha when Jesus came into her home (Luke 10:38–42). Can you imagine? Jesus was right there—in her house! And Martha was busy serving. There were things to do, people to care for, details to handle. I understand that!
But Luke tells us she was distracted with much serving. Eventually, she came to Jesus and asked Him to tell Mary to help her. Mary was sitting at His feet, listening to His Word, while Martha’s attention was consumed by the work.
Jesus answered her so tenderly: “Martha, Martha.” He saw her worry. He knew how troubled she was by all the things demanding her attention. And He pointed her toward what mattered most in that moment: listening to Him.
Jesus was in her home, but the details were consuming her attention. How often does that happen to us?
We love Him. We want to serve Him. But we can get so caught up in what needs to happen next that we miss the chance to listen to Him right now.
That is why I need the reminder to look above the line. In the middle of an ordinary day, with all its responsibilities and interruptions, I need to pause and remember God. To listen to what He has said. To trust Him with the things I keep trying to figure out myself.
I need to shift my eyes. God is at work in the midst of the details.
Reading His Word helps me do that. In Scripture, we trace what God does so that we may know who God is. We see His faithfulness, His mercy, His wisdom, and His care. Psalm 105:5 calls us to remember His wonderful works, and Romans 15:4 reminds us that the encouragement of Scripture gives us hope.
I may not understand everything He is doing in my own life, but His Word reminds me who He is. I can return to what He has said. I can remember His faithfulness. I can ask: What has God said? What do I know about His character? How can I trust Him right here?
The details of my day still matter. But I want to notice more than the list of things I did. I want to remember how He met me in them—how His Word corrected my thinking, how His grace helped me respond, how I learned to trust Him with something I could not resolve.
I want to keep walking faithfully, but I don’t want to spend the whole walk watching my feet. I want to lift my eyes to my King. He is doing great things above the line!
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah (Psalm 46:10)
❤️ Meghan