Seeing the Big Picture

The story goes that three men were observed working in a quarry. They were each approached and asked what they were doing. The first man replied, “I am cutting stone.” The second man replied, “I am carving a stone foundation for the base of a statue.” The third man replied, “I am building a cathedral.” All of these men were engaged in the same function. Only one of them grasped and felt proud of the larger concept and impact of their work and actions – that they were employed in the task of building a cathedral.

It’s very easy to limit our vision, particularly as it applies to our personal value and worth. I sometimes hear women say in response to the question, “What do you do?”, “Oh, I’m only a housewife.” And whenever I hear that statement I cringe. The impact of a caring, nurturing mother on the development of a family unit and children in particular is immeasurable. The examples are legion. Many people don’t feel that they possess value in their jobs, their homes or their relationships. But they are not seeing the larger picture.

Although the first and second quarrymen perceived their jobs as less important than others, suppose they were not available. Suppose that no quarrymen could be found or that they were unavailable for work. The architects and engineers would simply not be able to build the cathedral. It would remain a dream – simple plans drawn on paper. It would never achieve three dimensional reality.

Consider the woman who is “only” a housewife. What if she were unavailable to provide a stable and loving influence in her home? Like Jimmy Stewart discovered in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, the influence of one person can ripple out in a magnified effect to an entire community. I am not saying that women should not work outside the home, but rather that women or men who choose to stay exclusively in a role within the home should not feel of less value than the person who chooses to work outside the home.

In our society, where bigger is often equated with better and where excitement and sophistication are glamorized, self-criticism and denigration comes easily. We are pressured to “achieve” and achievement is commonly associated with better education, higher paying jobs, more status within the community, a more expensive car, a larger house. We tend to view these things are external evidence of achievement.

But we often fail to realize that true achievement lies in things that cannot be measured and upon which no price can be placed. The love of your family toward you, your relationships with others, the child whose life you influenced acting as a Big Brother or Big Sister, the child you volunteered to tutor in elementary school.

To the quarrymen, I would say that you are not “just” cutting stone – you are building a cathedral. To the women and men who choose an exclusive role within their home I would say that you are not “Just housewives or househusbands – you are a societal engineer, building a better community through your loving and dedicated influence in the home.

When you begin to see things from this perspective, you are beginning to see the big picture.