An Arrowhead, A Guitar Pick, And A Fish

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27

It was during a camping trip years ago. I had walked so many trails and looked hard everywhere for an arrowhead. Back then I collected the artifacts as I had a fascination with all things Native American. I was exhausted from hunting for arrowheads as I knelt down to unzip and climb into my tent. As my knee hit the hard dirt something turned up beneath it. Picking the object up I discovered it was an arrowhead. I laughed at God’s sense of humor and my hard work looking for an arrowhead when one lay at the door to my tent all along. 

I was looking forward to my trip to the music store. I wanted to get a guitar pick. Arriving at the store I was frustrated to discover it was closed. However, so that the trip was not a complete waste of time, I decided to stop to get gas on the way home. I pulled up to the pump and was about to put gas into the car as I looked down and was shocked to see a guitar pick lying beside the gas pump. It took a minute to register the fact as I could not imagine why anyone would leave a guitar pick at a gas pump. I smiled as I reached down and thought about our Heavenly Father’s kindness and thoughtfulness of making sure I got a guitar pick even though the music store was closed.

My fishing trip was becoming a slog. What began with hope, joy, and optimism became an exercise in frustration as I could not catch a fish, or even get a bite from one. I was at my second fishing hole and had nearly walked around the entire pond with no success. I tried live bait, and all the lures I thought would work. I had slowed my retrieve, sped it up, and my joy had quickly faded for the fishing trip as I had no success. I started to cast out my line when I realized too late that the line was partially twisted around the end of my fishing pole. Instead of a smooth cast out toward the middle of the pond my lure plopped just a few feet off of the bank. I unwound my line from my pole tip and then lifted the rod only to discover a bass at the end of my line. I laughed out loud at the ludicrous situation and God’s funny sense of humor.

Thinking over these three events it is hard to discover whether God orchestrates such things to show us His sense of humor, or to humble us and our well made plans, or to simply to show His kindness. Perhaps it is all three. At times we must laugh with God when our plans fall apart, and in doing so find a bit of humility. It is also good to see God’s kindness involved in the minutia of our lives. Especially as we hold to Him during the challenging times of our lives when we need steadfast faith in Him.

God is at work in our lives in small and large ways. I wonder how much we miss regarding God’s kindness and intervention by marking such events up to circumstance? 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us not to overlook the many ways you are involved in our lives. And help us to understand that though our plans may not always work out as we hope, You are there watching over us and helping us. Thank You for showing Your kindness in large and small ways. Amen.

Pieces Of The Puzzle

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Recently my granddaughter came over to stay with me for a day. I wanted something for us to do together and remembered how much I enjoyed putting together puzzles as a boy. So I picked up what appeared to be an easy 100 piece dinosaur puzzle.

We had no problem putting together the outside edges of the puzzle, and the left top section of the puzzle. Yet, the rest of that puzzle must have been cut using some sort of insane algorithm because it was a nightmare. What began as a fun exercise turned out to be a quest of sheer frustrated determination to finish the craziest kids puzzle ever. We barely got it done before my daughter arrived to pick up my granddaughter.

When we are young we look at our future and make plans with an expected outcome.  It looks easy enough to reach reasonable goals for our life. We get a good start and the outside edges of our plans begin to come together and a few other pieces start fitting and we can begin to see the outcome we hoped for.

When my wife and I got married we had reasonable plans. I had a good job and we purchased our first home. The plan was that we would have a few children, and my wife would stay home and take care of them while I worked. The outside pieces of our puzzle were coming together and the future looked bright. We had it figured out.

The algorithm of our life suddenly became much harder than we could ever imagine when my health broke down in the middle of the “puzzle” we were putting together. It did not fit as we expected it to.

You may have experienced something similar when you looked at your plans for your life. Then suddenly what should have been easy to accomplish instead wrecked your expectations. Perhaps like me, you had a turn in your health, or the health of your spouse. Maybe it was a divorce, or financial turmoil, or a struggle with drugs or alcohol. Many things can come along that suddenly change our expected outcome in ways we could never have foreseen.

For the believer in Christ, trust must enter the picture, no matter how crazy things may seem at the time. For God has a plan, even if it takes us through some twists and turns and gives us pieces that seem impossible to put together.

I’m far enough along in my life at this point that I can better see and understand the puzzle God is putting together. I can’t see it all just yet, but it is taking shape.

We may not see the puzzle of our life coming together as we expected, but we can trust that the ill-fitting pieces we hold in our hand will have a place in the picture when God has finished His work in our life.

Do not give in to discouragement when your plans fall apart. God is not through with your life. Trust Him, and in time the beautiful picture of His plans will be evident and you will understand it really did fit together after all.

Prayer: Dear Lord, life gives us many twists and turns that leave us confused and frustrated. Help us to always trust You, especially when the pieces don’t seem to fit together. Amen.