All The Pieces Fit

Sometimes I wish my life plan came packaged in a box like a jigsaw puzzle. Normally, people who do puzzles as a hobby have a big empty table to lay out each piece. They start with the outside edge of the puzzle and work inwards. Of course, the box shows them what the puzzle is supposed to look like when it is completed.  Our attempts to see the big picture is a futile exercise, but as human beings society tells us must have a plan for tomorrow, next week, and for five years down the road. Do not get me wrong I believe a level of planning is good for our lives, but over planning can be harmful to our mental state. We don't know what tomorrow brings and certainly, a five-year plan can be murky at best. We can hope and put a plan into action for things to line up as we see fit. Maybe we will get close, however, there are entire sections missing from the puzzle. What about the picture on the outside of the box, or the box itself? Our futures cannot be placed neatly inside a box, or be pieced together like a puzzle. The only being who knows exactly what our future holds is God, our father. He is the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow and he knows how our lives are going play out. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." We can only have a simple outline, anything other than that means we are not trusting God to guide our steps. God is already at tomorrow, and he already sees the finished puzzle. Trust in him even if your life is going great, but also trust him if you are unsure what direction life is taking you. After all, he is the one who created you uniquely for his plans. "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." In the season of the unknown surrounding COVID-19, remember that God has control over this. Furthermore, you might be dealing with a loss of a job, food insecurity, loneliness from isolation, depression or other difficult situations in your life. Focus on the next five minutes, do not try to plan out every little detail for tomorrow. Jesus says in Mathew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." If you are anxious about anything communicate with God by prayer and petition with gladness in your hearts (Philippians 4:6). Ultimately, I believe that God wants his children to look like Jesus more and more each day. However, I am not going to achieve this without his guidance or help from other believers that I surround myself with. Other people can help me with the picture on the outside of the box. While God's words help me sort the pieces into groups to start placing them into place on the table. Finally, the Holy Spirit guides me to place the pieces right where they need to be. Just trust in him and he will reveal the completed finished puzzle at the right time.