The Details
Some people are great with the details. Some are not.
We recently had a digital portrait done of a wedding photo and the artist drew it two ways. One with detail, one without. We both loved the one with detail. The coloring of our hair matched perfectly. The fit of the wedding dress was just right. Our smiles popped. The background color was exactly how we remembered the sky that summer night. The very fine tuned details of us stuck out as soon as we looked at the image. It is a framer.
I am a storyteller and a verbal processor. When I’m sitting with my loved ones, I include the details to set the tone and paint a fuller picture of the story I’m sharing. Details embellish. Details provide background and context. Details help the listener visualize the story.
Which details of your story do you leave out? What have you edited out for certain audiences? Which details are core to you? What do you want people to know about you? Which stories do you hesitate to tell?
God has been writing your story with so much detail. Take some time to ponder that for a few minutes. If you edit part of you out of the story, how will the audience see the intimate details behind the beauty and glory of the story called your life?
One of my practicums in graduate school taught me how to sit with another and really listen to them. Sometimes it’s hard to listen to another, am I right? There is so much going on. Some days other thoughts cloud our minds. Maybe we don’t care what someone is sharing. But, and that’s an important but—how do we know that what they are sharing or maybe even not sharing (you might be able to hear this if you’re listening closely) is a significant part of the detailing of his/her story. Oftentimes we were instructed to listen to the details. When listening, you won’t pick up some of the most important details, if you are not focusing, and intently watching for the little things—your mind will be wandering to the weekend plans or what’s for dinner tonight. It happens. Good listening is a gift you can offer up to the world. It is powerful. If you show another that the intricate details of his/her life matter to you, I think you show them God. And aren’t we supposed to show others how God loves them, that He cares, that He’s listening?
Let’s get better at the details. It will improve our testimonies. It will help us understand ourselves. It will grow our relationships. It will help others experience God.
Reflection:
How do you tell stories?
How do you tell your story?
Which details are important to you? Which ones do you leave out? Which ones do you highlight? Why?
What is one detail about your life that you struggle with/don’t understand/hesitate in sharing?
Who is one person that you know who is a good listener? How do they receive you? Your stories? Your details? What sticks out about how they make you feel when you are sharing?
What is one area of your life that you can improve on when listening to the details to grow a relationship?
Journeying Together,
C