Connections
One of my favorite things to do with my children when they were younger was Legos. You connect pieces to build something. I used to make mazes for the kids. When they would come home from school, I would be so proud of the maze I had made for them. I'm sure I had more fun with Legos then they ever did.
Today I still like connections (and Legos for that matter), but now it's about connecting life with God. I love to see Him working and see how things work together. I'm not always paying attention, but when I am, God often shows me something and gives me understanding. It comes in pieces just like Legos, and over time, I can see what He is doing or what He has done. So even when my life feels like a Lego maze, with God, I am able to move ahead one step at a time trusting He knows the outcome and it is good. Recently I started texting daily Bible verses to my family. A friend shared that's what she did, and the idea resonated with me. So once/week I ask the Lord to give me verses to share with them. And every morning before work or the day starts, I send it. And without fail, after it's sent, God will show me how the verse applies to me and my life when I'm paying attention. Connections...God is always making them. We don't read the Bible so we can check it off the to-do list; we read it because it has to do with our life now. It contains truth, wisdom, guidance and direction. "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4 NASB) For example, the verse I sent on Monday was Romans 5:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." I sent the verse, then began to journal. I was feeling overwhelmed by all I wanted to get done this week before my son and his girlfriend come from Arizona to visit on Thursday. I no sooner started writing, and the anxiety completely disappeared. God was saying, "Do you see what just happened?" God was using the Bible verse I sent. And He was showing me what He had just done. I was so grateful for the peace and the connection of the verse to how I was now feeling compared to how I had been feeling moments earlier, that I began to thank Him. Soon I was feeling joy and hope as well. God's living Word and power connected to my trust produced precisely what it said it would. And God's quiet whisper told me that when I sent this verse, He used it to give me the peace I longed for. Another connection! He wanted me to see the truth of this verse in action! Now I don't want you to get the idea that it's always smooth sailing. God isn't always so direct, and the answers often come in layers and over time. That's what it means to persevere. God is creative and unique in the way He does things. Romans 15:13 is one of my favorite verses, but He had never used it in this way before. You can't put God in a box. But if you trust Him, the answers will come, in His timing and in His way. His ways are higher than our ways. Ask Him to show you the connections; Him connecting His Word to your life and you connecting what is happening with what God is doing. God is saying, Even when you are waiting for a promise to be fulfilled, I am working during that time. Don't get so caught up in what you are waiting for that you miss what I am doing now. I am building character and giving you reasons to keep trusting Me. I am giving you hope and building your faith. If you focus solely on the thing you are waiting for, you will miss the many connections I am making along the way, and you will be more likely to fall into discouragement. And discouragement can have a blinding affect on seeing connections between what is happening and what I am doing. I love you, my child, and I want you to see that I am doing a new thing. When it springs up, I want you to perceive it; to see that I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).
May God open our eyes to see the connections He is making!!