Transcript
Amazon Voice (0:00)
Amazon has everything for every kind of birthday. Whether that's a three tier cake stand, Happy birthday, Comet balloons for your son's space themed party, or gifts like a karaoke machine for that friend who never stops singing Happy birthday to you. From cake stands to karaoke machines, shop everything for every party on Amazon.
Steve Buscemi (0:31)
Hi, this is Steve Buscemi. You know the actor. Well, now I'm an actor and podcast host. From Piece of Work Entertainment and Campside Media in association with Olive Productions, comes Big Time, an Apple original podcast. Each episode follows the story of one misfit with big dreams who isn't afraid to bend a few rules or take a shortcut to get there.
Unknown Speaker 1 (0:53)
Well, who steals bees?
Unknown Speaker 2 (0:54)
I was duped.
Unknown Speaker 1 (0:55)
I shoot you in the leg.
Steve Buscemi (0:57)
This is Big time. Follow and listen on Apple podcasts.
State Farm Voice (1:03)
If your small business is booming, you might say cha ching. But you should say, like a good.
Jack in the Box Voice (1:09)
Neighbor, State Farm is there.
State Farm Voice (1:11)
And we'll help your growing business. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Joel Osteen (1:18)
Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.
Unknown Speaker 1 (1:24)
If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend?
Joel Osteen (1:28)
We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life.
Unknown Speaker 1 (1:32)
How many of you guys know that sometimes the smallest thing can just irritate you? Things that really don't matter in the long run. I was with a girlfriend of mine several years ago and she was showing me her vacation photos. I hate to date this, but it's when we used to go get them at Walgreens, she said, I just picked up my vacation photos. Let's look at them. So I said, okay. And so we began to look at this. Beautiful pictures of blue skies, sandy beaches, all these cute little shops at the port. Just so much fun. And we're looking and I noticed she was getting a little more irritated and she was going through the pictures more quickly. And I was like, okay, okay. You know, I was going to kind of really check them out and talk about them. Then all of a sudden I noticed she began to say, I look terrible in that picture. I don't like that picture. I'm not wearing that outfit again. It doesn't photograph well. And she began to pick herself apart in these pictures. See, I went from enjoying her vacation to looking at something about herself that I couldn't even see. You see, sometimes we forget the big picture. We forget to look at the blue skies, the sandy beaches, the smiling faces, our children, because we see that speck on the picture. And that's all we focus on. You see, her memory all of a sudden became negative. Think about Adam and Eve. They were in a beautiful garden, lush, green garden. They had fruit everywhere, they could eat all they want, never gained any weight, no laundry. They were in this amazing, God given garden. And one day Eve got her eye on a single bush. A single bush in the garden. The only bush she was asked not to touch. And that day, that bush became the biggest thing that she saw. In fact, that bush was so big, it distorted the whole view of the garden. You see, that bush was the speck on the picture. She didn't see the whole picture because all she could see is what she didn't have. Listen, let's don't see the specks in our life. Let's begin to see the whole picture, what we do have. Let's don't let a bush distort this amazing life. God has given us, the relationships that we have. Because in the long run, it really doesn't matter. I think we could all say, if we step back, that we've seen some specs that mess some things up for us. We focused on some things that we didn't have and we forgot to see all the great things that we do have. Listen, I don't want to live in regret, do you? I want to enjoy what God has given me right now, the beauty of the moment. I think about my friend. And today I bet if she pulls those same pictures out, she's going to go, I look pretty good in those pictures. You know, sometimes when the years go by, you don't look as bad as she thought you did. When my kids were very young, we were at the old building and it was the Easter Sunday and everyone was dressed up, you know, all the family was there. The cousins, the aunts, the uncles, you know, the grandmothers. Everyone was there and looking so good, you know, we were all there together and I remember thinking, I want to get a Easter picture. Everybody's so cute, all the little outfits the kids had on. And about the time we could round everybody up to get this Easter picture, we're placing everybody. I look and there's my two little kids. They had changed out of their Easter clothes and put on their play clothes. They're standing there with some shorts and a raggy old T shirt and some tennis shoes. And I'm like looking at them. And it was enough just getting everyone rounded up. There wasn't time for me to go change them and bring them back. And I remember thinking, I am so frustrated you see, because I wanted this picture to be perfect.