Tag: God at Work

Putting the Pieces Together

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Entering the living room with my baby in my arms, I turned to my 2 year old. “You asked if we could do a puzzle earlier, and I said not right now, but now we can do a puzzle if you want.”

My 2 year old lit up. “Okay!”

He hurried to fetch the puzzle.

I attempted to put my baby in his bouncy seat, but he fused. He was having one of those “Mommy hold me” days.

I’d just have to work on the puzzle one-handed. How hard could that be? 

My 2 year old placed the puzzle on the table and climbed onto a chair.

I helped him open the 100 piece bunny puzzle.

“Now, first we put edge pieces over here and middle pieces over there. See? This is an edge piece. It has a straight side.”

I knew the piece sorting was still a bit beyond my son’s comprehension.

My 4 year old daughter entered the kitchen.

I smiled at her. “Want to help us with the puzzle?”

She frowned. “No… Well, just for the sorting.”

With my daughter’s help, we soon had the pieces sorted. 

She wandered off to the living room.

I shifted my baby to the other arm.

My son was trying to put two totally unrelated pieces together.

I knew I had to act fast before he became too discouraged. 

I sifted through the edge pieces finding several for the grass at the bottom of the puzzle.

I spotted two that should fit. I put them together. Good.

Taking the pieces apart, I passed them to my son.

“Here. These two go together.”

As he turned his attention to them, I slid the mismatched pieces away from him.

It only took him a moment to connect the two pieces I had passed to him.

He reached for the closest piece and began trying to make it fit.

I turned my attention back to my pile of pieces.

Finding another that would fit with his pieces, I passed it to him.

While he worked to attach that one, I strained my brain to line up five more pieces. Rather than connect the pieces, I slide them in front of him.

“Here. Put these ones together.”

I paused to stretch, then was back at it.

It took a lot of quick thinking to keep my son supplied with connecting puzzle pieces.

As we neared the end of the puzzle, my daughter came to help us finish.

By the end of the puzzle, my brain felt fried, but I had a happy 2 year old and a completed puzzle.

Later, I paused to reflect on how much work it was for me to put together 100 perfectly fitting pieces.

How much greater is God who is piecing together all of history!

God is orchestrating all things into a cohesive, marvelous big picture story, even while giving me free will to make choices.

As Paul taught in Acts 17:24-27:

“The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth… He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God…” (CSB)

When I read the whole Bible from cover to cover, this becomes more apparent.

What a beautifully intricate and incomprehensibly complex puzzle God has woven together, and He doesn’t feel worn out from this work (unlike me with a measly 100 piece puzzle).

What an incredible God we serve!

In the midst of that, I get to be a part of helping put the pieces together as I make choices day by day.

Sometimes, like my 2 year old, I try to put the pieces together the way I want.

I grab two totally unrelated pieces and try to force them into place.

I don’t know they don’t belong together in the big picture, but God knows.

As I submit to His guidance in my life, God passes me puzzle pieces that do belong together.

I get to partner with God in putting them together, though in truth, He is the mastermind behind it all.

He shows me what role He wants me to play. I am simply to obey.

Whether that is inviting a neighbor to church, writing a blog post, praying for a co-worker, volunteering at church, or helping a friend in need. It is also in the bigger choices I make: who I marry, where I live, what job I do.

As I ask Him to guide me in these things, I join Him in building a part the big picture story.

How incredible that God, the Master Puzzle Maker, invites me into the process of helping put the pieces together!

May I be faithful to follow His instructions.

Covered Over

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

“Mommy, I want to write a list.” My daughter announced as she placed a paper on the kitchen table.

“What sort of list?” I asked.

“A list for the babysitter.”

One of her favorite games recently has been “babysitter game,” where she pretends to babysit her dolls, her little brother, or sometimes, me. This game was largely inspired by the book “Amelia Bedelia and the Baby.”

“Okay. Do you want me to write it so you can copy the words?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” I fetched a small whiteboard and a dry-erase pen. “What do you want to say on your list?”

She paused to think.

“Take bath. Go for walk. Eat snack. Make supper.”

I recorded her words on the whiteboard. “There you go. Would you like a pencil to write the list with?”

I heard the beginnings of frustration coming from my 1 year old in the living room.

“No, I’ll use a marker.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

I headed for the living room, grateful that she would be busy for a few minutes while I helped my younger child.

Several minutes later, a cry of despair erupted from the kitchen.

By this time, my husband was busy in the kitchen where my daughter sat. I heard him ask if she needed help.

Through tears, she explained that she had mixed up the lines. Her list read, “Eat snack. Make snack.”

Because she’d written it in marker, there was no way to erase it. After all that hard work copying my writing, she’d have to start all over again. 

“I have an idea,” my husband replied calmly.

He fetched a new sheet of paper, scissors, and a glue stick.

After a quick measurement of the mistaken word, he cut the paper to size and glued it over my daughter’s mistake.

She brightened instantly. “Now I can try again!”

She carefully copied the word “supper” onto the paper.

Joyfully, she hurried to the living room to show me.

“Look, Mommy. I wrote the wrong thing, but Daddy gave me a second chance.”

“Excellent,” I enthused.

The next day, my daughter approached me. “Mommy, you write a list.”

I looked up from what I was doing. “What sort of list?”

“A babysitting list, but write one thing wrong,” she said.

“Why should I write something wrong?” I asked.

“Because I’m pretending to be the mommy and you are the kid. If you write something wrong I can give you a second chance.”

“I see. Like Daddy did yesterday?”

“Yes.” She had a twinkle in her eye.

Fetching a paper and a marker, I wrote a similar list to what she had made yesterday.

  1. Read book
  2. Bath
  3. Eat snack
  4. Nap

(If she was going to be the mommy and have me pretend to be the kid, I may as well add some extra reading practice for her and a chance for me to lie down.)

Instead of writing “Bath” I wrote “Book” again.

“Oh no. I wrote the wrong thing.” I showed her my paper. “It was supposed to say ‘Bath’ here.”

“That’s okay,” she bubbled over with excitement. “I can give you another chance.”

“Thank you,” I replied, then handed her the scissors and glue.

She cut out a piece of paper and glued it over my wrong word.

“There. Now you can fix it.”

I wrote “Bath” on top of the glued on paper.

“Thank you for giving me a second chance. That’s like what Daddy did for you yesterday.”

She nodded.

I then steered the conversation to Jesus.

When I do wrong things – when I sin – He covers over my sins and lets me try again.

He can do this because He died on the cross for me. He has already paid the price for the wrongdoing.

It’s not that there are no consequences for my sins – my daughter’s list still had the obvious patch on it – but God forgives the death penalty I deserve every time I sin against Him.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 CSB

He offers me a second chance.

My job is to confess my sins and ask for His forgiveness.

If my daughter had simply hidden her list with the mistake on it, my husband would not have had the opportunity to cover over her mistake. She also had to allow him to do the gluing on of the paper. She could have resisted that.

In the coming weeks, as I celebrate Easter, I want to pause to remember and thank God for His great mercy towards us.

Through His death, He has covered over my sins and given me a second chance.

He is worthy of my praise.

Wrong Thinking

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

“Parmesan cheese, please.” My 3 year old daughter pointed across the table.

I sprinkled some of the cheese on her pasta. “There you go.”

She took a bite, then picked up her water to take a drink.

As she tilted the cup to take a drink, she tipped it too far, pouring cold water onto her pant leg.

“Oh…” She put the cup back down. “Now I’m wet. I can’t be wet.”

She proceeded to roll her affected pant leg up past the wet spot.

“There,” she declared, “now it will dry faster.”

I frowned. “It will dry slower, not faster, when it is rolled up. Your pants need to be spread out to dry faster.”

“No. It will dry faster.”

I sighed. I knew pressing the point would get me nowhere. I had tried before, several times…

“Well, you get to choose if you want your pant leg rolled up or not.”

It was time to change the topic.

“Look. I see a squirrel in the tree outside. I wonder what he’s trying to do.”

It wasn’t until I had a few minutes to slow down several days later that it occurred to me that there is an allegory here for me to learn from.

As I was reflecting on my daughter’s attitude of not wanting to listen to me in this manner, the thought crossed my mind: “Is there any area of my thinking where I have been refusing to listen to God?”

With my daughter, sometimes this same attitude has shown up in statements such as, “if I don’t get a turn now, then I never will get a turn.”

My reply has been, “That’s not true. You need to wait for one more minute and then it will be your turn. You need to tell yourself the truth.”

To her reply of “Why?”

I say, “Because it hurts you when you don’t tell yourself the truth. It makes you feel grumpy.”

The question begs to be asked: Is there any area of my life that I am not telling myself the truth?

Probably.

My wrong thinking may be fueled by pride, ignorance, fear, or nearly anything else. It may seem harmless right now, but when I continue to think that way, eventually it will hurt me and likely cause harm to those around me.

Is God trying to explain to me the truth so that I don’t cause myself all sorts of trouble by believing the lie I am telling myself?

Yes.

Much of the transforming work God does in my life takes place in the mind.

As Romans 12:2 tells us: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (CSB)

How does God transform my thinking?

There are many ways. Time spent reading the Bible is hugely significant. Spending time in prayer, listening to sound Bible teaching, and fellowshipping with other Christians all play large roles as well.

God wants to help me know the truth. As I seek Him, He will transform my thinking (though I may not clearly see it myself).

Today, may I have the courage to honestly ask God to show me where I have been thinking wrong, and then to help me change it.

Looking for a Bible-based devotional? Check out my post:

Grow Your Faith: 5 Inspiring and Free Christian Devotionals

Construction Happens – Will I Marvel or Mumble?

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

As I neared the church parking lot, I studied the construction barriers. Could I drive into the parking lot?

An email sent earlier in the week had noted there would be construction. A construction crew needed to tear up the street just outside the parking lot to do work on the buried water pipes. The email suggested the crew would plan to keep a clear route to the church parking lot for mid-week events.

This end of the road had barricades, though there weren’t any workers nearby. Perhaps the other end was open.

I continued past the road and made a long detour in an attempt to approach the church from the other direction on that same road.

As I rounded the corner bringing the church into view, I stepped on the brake. Not only was this end barricaded, but an excavator and front-end loader were hard at work here.

Definitely not open.

There was no room to turn around where I was on the narrow street with cars parked along both sides.

I switched into reverse.

I backed up till I passed the nearest alley, then drove through it. It was bumpy and unpaved, but empty.

Back out on the main street, I approached the first end of the road again.

One of the barricades had been moved to the side. I could see a clear path to the church parking lot. The heavy machinery and crew were a fair distance away.

I decided to try it.

I cautiously navigated past the barrier and along the road.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled into the church parking lot, and chose an empty stall.

In the back of my vehicle, I could hear my kids exclaiming excitedly about the construction vehicles.

I unbuckled my daughter and let her out.

Walking around to the other side of the vehicle, I pulled my 1-year-old son out. I placed him on the sidewalk.

He took two steps towards the busy construction crew (who were a whole parking lot away), then sat down decidedly. He stared in fascination at the noisy machines.

My daughter asked, “What are they building?”

“They’re doing something with the pipes,” I explained.

“Oh.” She watched in wonder.

My son continued to give them his undivided attention. He didn’t want to go anywhere else.

Several other ladies showed up. 

I convinced my 1-year-old to head into the church. Still he kept looking back. He pointed and made grunting, sputtering sounds – his version of what the heavy equipment sounded like.

As we entered the church, we greeted one of the pastors.

Immediately we discussed the inconveniences and hassle the construction site had caused and our hope that it would be short-lived.

A day or two later, I found myself thinking of the occasion. I see a lesson there for me.

As Paul tells me, “it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 CSB

The construction represents God’s work in my life. He helps me grow and become more of the person He created me to be – a person filled with the Fruit of the Spirit.

When there is no construction – no upgrading or making new – things slowly, over the years, degrade and fall into disrepair.

My life is like that. If God is not at work transforming me, I am coasting. Coasting may feel fine and good for a while, but gradually coasting leads away from a close walk with God. As I become more distant from God, the Fruit of the Spirit will fade out of my life.

When construction happens, it is typically messy and noisy. It is an inconvenience requiring detours and delays.

It is not clean and tidy most of the time. It is not comfortable, but it is necessary.

Sometimes, like the construction site by my church, it is all to do with deep hidden pipes. Once they refill the hole and patch the road back together, it will seem like they did nothing helpful at all.

Sometimes the work God has to do in me is like that. It is a transformation of the deep hidden parts of me that most people will never know about.

Yet if the deep underground pipes stop working, everyone knows about it. Fresh water stops flowing or sewage backs up. It is not good at all!

What do my children’s responses have to do with any of this?

They are a reminder that I get to choose my attitude.

When construction happens in my life, will I choose to marvel or mumble?

Will l be annoyed, frustrated, and complaining? Will I rant and fight against God?

Or, like my 1-year-old son, will I choose to sit in awe and marvel at what God is doing?

Like my daughter, will I wonder what God is up to? Will I choose to be hopeful for what the future holds as He is at work preparing me for it?

Today, I want to pause to thank God that He is at work in me and to wonder at what He is up to.

God knows what He is doing, I can trust Him.

Faithfully Working In Me

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

While my husband finished his breakfast, I let our toddler cuddle up on my lap, or what was left of it. At 36 weeks pregnant there’s not a lot of room left on my lap for her.

We chatted about the plan for the day.

I gave my daughter a little squeeze. “You get to stay with Grandma today while I go to a doctor’s appointment for baby.”

My toddler rested her head against me. “Strong and healthy.”

“That’s right. The doctor is checking to make sure baby is strong and healthy.”

I glanced across the table at my husband. “It’s a routine appointment. They’ll likely want me to book another one for next week since I’m so far along now. What are you up to today?”

My husband launched into a description of his expected meetings and the project he had on the go at work.

His words trailed off when our daughter sat bolt upright, shock covering her face.

I laughed. “Baby just kicked you.” I had felt the strong movement too.

Her shock turned to a grin, as she shifted to rest a hand on my belly.

“You really felt that didn’t you?”

“More?”

“He might kick you again, but I don’t know if he will. Sometimes he kicks a lot, but sometimes he is sleeping. I think he was sleeping just a minute ago, but then he kicked you.”

It wasn’t until the next morning that I found myself thinking about how the movements of my soon-to-be-born baby can stand as a meaningful reminder to me of how God works in my life.

Let me explain.

The kicks of an unborn baby are a wonderful, reassuring thing (though sometimes uncomfortable). Each kick is a reminder that he is alive and active. At checkups, the doctor asks if I’ve been feeling the baby kick because it is an important indicator that the baby is doing well.

Yet the baby isn’t always kicking. Sometimes he is sleeping.

More often than not, it is when I am busy or walking about that he sleeps. Then, within minutes of my sitting down or lying down to relax, I feel him start kicking.

His movements aren’t always the same either. Sometimes I feel his kicks on the right side, sometimes on the left. Sometimes he jabs at my ribs (those aren’t so comfortable), while other times he kicks deep within me. At times his movements are big and pronounced, visible to those sitting beside me. At other times, they are subtle and easy to miss. Still other times his movements are not kicks at all. Instead they are the steady rhythm of hiccups.

When I don’t feel him actively moving, does it mean there is a problem? No, unless the stillness lasts too long. He is most likely taking a nap while he continues to grow and develop.

Similar can be said of my relationship with God.

Sometimes I can see and feel that God is actively at work in my life. I know that I am walking with Him and He is growing me closer to Him.

Other times, I can’t feel Him. I sometimes start to worry – am I still following God? Have I become distant? Is He still at work in my life?

Just because I can’t feel God at the moment, doesn’t mean there is something wrong. God can still be at work in my life, even when I don’t feel it.

Often it is in the seasons of busyness that I feel Him less – such as the season I’m about to step into as the mom of a newborn.

That said, to help my baby’s growth and development be at an optimum, I must continue to eat a reasonably healthy diet, take my prenatal vitamins, and drink water – lots and lots of water.

Regardless of whether I have felt my baby kicking in the past while, I continue to eat for his optimum growth.

The same should be the case in my walk with Jesus. Regardless of whether I feel super close to God at the moment, it is still critical to be ingesting a healthy spiritual diet – Bible reading, worship songs, prayer, and times of fellowship with other Christians.

These elements will help keep me growing and learning more about God whether I feel it or not.

Today, whether I feel it or not, may I trust that, “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 CSB)