May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together-spirit, soul, and body-and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. 1Thessalonians 5:23
I have this book called 100 Favorite Bible Verses but it doesn’t say who the author is but I like the analogy that it put with the verse above.
A jigsaw puzzle is made up of multiple parts. It is only when these parts are put together, when the puzzle is whole and complete, that you see the picture it was designed to display. Your life is the same way. Your life is made up of many complex components: family life, job, hobbies, physical health, emotional state, present circumstances, past experiences, hopes for the future, relationship with God. It would be easy to feel that your life is fragmented, like unconnected pieces of a puzzle that don’t seem to fit. But, that isn’t the way you were designed.
God designed you to be whole and complete, where every part of your life interconnects with his love and his plan. This doesn’t happen automatically or overnight. That is why the apostle Paul asked God to help the people in the church at Thessalonica to continue to move closer toward wholeness in their lives. He recognized that people cannot achieve the process of maturity that leads to wholeness through self-effort. It requires the power of God. Paul’s prayer is one you need to pray for yourself.
Ask God to help pull the pieces of your life together according to his original design. As you choose to keep God at the center of your life, you’ll find your own unique “picture” becoming more complete. Your job, your relationships, and your dreams work together, linked to one another because they are each solidly linked back to God.
I like this because a puzzle has different pieces and those pieces have bumps and valleys. I look at those bumps and valleys as the highs and lows of life. They are the things that keep life interesting. The problem is dealing with the lows in life.
While I know that God won’t give us more than life can handle, when that valley comes it can really feel like it is more than I can handle. I keep wondering when the picture will start to become clear or maybe at least some of it.
Let Paul’s prayer make you more aware of the big picture behind what’s going on in your life.
Very, very perfect for the circumstances that have come upon me the last couple of weeks. I'm really glad you posted it...and that I stopped to read it. You sure are precious :)
ReplyDelete