Is the Devil really in the details?

If you know me at all you know that there has never been a detail I liked.   I love thinking big picture and my mind just doesn't work to break things down.   I have grown to love and respect people who can do this and I desperately need them.

As I was reading through Exodus and Leviticus, I realized that the old saying, "The Devil is in the Details" can't be true because God is all about the details.

Here's proof.  The Ephod was kind of like  robe that went over the priests garments.  It looked something like this:

Here's what God told the people to do in Exodus 28:

6 “Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.

See what I'm talking about?  Those are a lot of details. 

When I came to my current job I had a coworker who was always pointing out the huge differences between "detail people" and "visionaries."  I started to divide people that way, and I totally landed in the visionary category.  

But like in so many things, God is not an either or kind of God, but a both-and God.  He is in the details, but he is also a big picture visionary God.   If you look at the huge ocean, there is in that a small, perfect shell.   The massive forests hold tiny flowers.   He created this whole huge world and thought of things like butterflies and crocuses and hamsters.  He made the human body where all kind of tiny pieces make up a functioning hole.

My paradigm is shifting as I recognize my need to pay attention to the details more than I ever have before.  It's a challenge for me, but I'm working on it every day.    Because in missing the details, I am missing a lot of God’s glory. 

So next time you find yourself frustrated with those of us who get so excited about the big picture that we forget the details, be patient.  And for those of you who are big picture thinkers, remember to appreciate and love those people who rescue us every day by catching things that we don't see.

Since we are formed in God's image, maybe as we mature we can all have little pieces of both.