God’s Purpose for You

No Good

Megan Breedlove August 19, 2013 4 Comments

One of my daughter Ellie’s best friends is a young lady named Anastasia. Only a month older than Ellie, she and Ellie have become fast friends over the past few years. A few nights ago, Anastasia and three of her siblings stayed overnight with us. The next morning after breakfast and plenty of DVD watching, I took the kids outside to play.

Anastasia was drawn to our hula hoops. She’s actually quite good at hula-hooping. As she practiced, she would call out for me to watch her, and I always watched the neat tricks she did.

I should mention here that I am terrible at hula-hooping, and so are my kids. None of us can get the hoop to go around our bodies more than about half a time before it falls to the ground. So my kids are impressed that Anastasia can do well at something they can’t. It doesn’t seem to bother them that they can’t do the same thing; they’re simply happy for their friend, and content in their own abilities.

That’s exactly the reaction we should have when we see someone else with abilities that we do not possess. We should be happy God has chosen to bless that person in that way and remain content with the ways He has chosen to bless us.

Sometimes, however, we’re not happy for the person in question. Instead of rejoicing that she gets to enjoy one of God’s gifts, we become resentful that we don’t have that same gift. We may even take out our resentment on that person, allowing it to affect the relationship we could have had with her. And sometimes we carry it even farther, to the point where we think that if we don’t have that same gift, we’re nothing.

Precious mom, God does not love Anastasia any more than He loves my children just because she can do something they can’t. He doesn’t prefer her over them because she possesses an ability—which He gave her, by the way—that they don’t. And He doesn’t think any less of us or love us any less just because someone else has more or different gifts than we have.

It’s not like God gives abundant, spectacular gifts to those He loves, and the rest of us get whatever’s left over. He distributes gifts as He wills, according to what each person needs in order to be able to carry out God’s plan for his or her life. So the fact that you don’t have a particular gift or set of gifts simply means you don’t need it—not that you are less than someone else in any way.

Besides, you do have your own spectacular set of gifts, whether or not you recognize that they’re spectacular. Your gifts are amazing because they were hand-picked by God for you, in accordance with what He has planned for you. They were chosen with care and love by God Almighty and given specially to you and to no one else in exactly the same way.

With your gifts, you can bless others in a way that’s unique among every other way on earth. So be content with the gifts you do have, and look for ways to bless others with them, instead of wishing for what you don’t have.

If you’re no good at hula-hooping, who cares? God certainly doesn’t.

Hebrews 13:5—Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

Sparkly Pink

Megan Breedlove August 12, 2013 No Comments

There’s just something about sparkly pink shoes that attracts young girls. Young boys, too, as it turns out. That is, toddler boys. Specifically, Timmy.

Two days ago, our family attended a child’s birthday party. There was a giant water slide in the back yard as well as a couple of pools of varying sizes. Naturally, all the kids left their shoes clustered around the entrances to the various attractions.

Timmy must have thought he was in heaven. He loves to put on people’s shoes and walk around in them. He’s got great balance for a kid his age, and he can walk fairly easily without stumbling even in shoes that are way too big for him.

This time, Timmy’s shoes of choice were some sparkly pink Hello Kitty clogs that belonged to our neighbor girl. It was fortunate that we knew her well, because every time we turned around, Timmy was toddling off someplace in her shoes. A couple times, we tried to take them away from him and put them where he wouldn’t notice, but he always found them again. And, since we knew the shoes’ owner wouldn’t mind, we eventually gave up trying to get him to leave them alone.

At Timmy’s current age—about 17.5 months—it’s fine for him to toddle around in sparkly pink girlie shoes if he wants to. It doesn’t really matter that those clogs weren’t made for little boys, or that Hello Kitty isn’t designed for little boys either. It’s fine for him to enjoy these things now because after all, he’s young. All he knows is that the shoes are pretty. He doesn’t know they’re not really made for him—that is, for a boy.

You and I sometimes get attracted to things that aren’t made for us, either. Something looks pretty, sparkly, and pink to us, despite that fact that it’s not ours and isn’t supposed to be. Perhaps we’re pursuing the wrong ministry at church. Perhaps we’re staying home when we should be working, or working when we should be staying home. Maybe we’re pursuing a person we were never meant to have a relationship with.

Whatever the pink, sparkly thing in our lives, it might not be meant to be ours. How can we tell for sure? We ask the only One who knows for sure, that is, God Himself. He knows exactly which pretty things are meant to be ours, and which are off-limits to us.

Our mistake isn’t in liking pink, sparkly things. We’re made that way. The mistake comes in pursuing something we were never meant to have.

Is there something in your life right now that you’re pursuing because it looks great to you, but which you were never meant to have? Maybe there’s that nagging doubt—otherwise known as the still, small voice—in the back of your mind that whispers, This isn’t for you. Maybe others have told you it isn’t for you. Maybe you know good and well it was never meant to be yours, but you pursued and obtained it anyway.

There’s one way to make things right, and it starts with going before God and asking Him to reveal to you anything you’ve been pursuing which He doesn’t want you to have. Believe me, He will be more than willing to tell you. And once he does, you have to give it up, and maybe even repent of some sin in your life.

It probably won’t be easy to give something up. Giving up attractive things usually isn’t easy. But it will be so much better for you to have the right pair of shoes even than it would be to have a pair of pretty, pink, sparkly shoes that were never meant to be yours.

Do you need to relinquish any shoes today?

Ecclesiastes 3:6—A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. (KJV)

He Already Knows

Megan Breedlove August 20, 2012 No Comments

Trying to teach kids to think for themselves can be…challenging.

My five kids are still in the stage where they often, if not usually, want Mommy to have all the answers. They bring me all sorts of dilemmas. Maybe some of these sound familiar:

“Mommy, I can’t find my shoes.” (Child then stands there waiting for you to do something about it.)

“Mommy, I want to buy (insert the name of a toy or video game here), but I don’t have any money.”

“Mommy, Lindsey’s using the markers, and I want to use them.”

It’s sometimes frustrating trying to teach children to attempt to work something out on their own before giving up and looking in the back of the book for the answers. After all, it’s so much easier just to ask Mommy. Takes less brainpower. And Mommy will often just give the answer because she’s too tired to guide the aforementioned child through the laborious process of reasoning out in 5 minutes what it took her 5 seconds to figure out.

I know for a fact that Jesus understood how hard it is to get people (even adults) to think for themselves. The Bible tells us about several instances of Jesus’ trying to get the disciples or others to figure out things on their own. We read about one such situation in John chapter 6. Jesus has been preaching to a large crowd, and it’s dinnertime. The crowd is hungry. The only problem is, nobody seems to have brought any food, and they’re out in the country, so nobody can just drive to the grocery store, either. What are they going to do?

That’s what the disciples are wondering. When Jesus asked Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip must have thought, Beats me! Guess we’re out of luck.

That’s in verse 5. But look at what verse 6 says: “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

The response He wanted from Phillip was something like, “I don’t know, Lord. But I bet You do.” Or maybe, “It’s hopeless unless You do something about it.” In other words, He wanted Phillip to look to Him as the source of the solution to the dilemma. Instead, Phillip stopped with “I don’t know,” and “It’s hopeless.”

But even though Jesus was asking Phillip to think things through a little bit, and even though He sometimes does the same for us, He knew then—and He knows now—what He is going to do. All the while Phillip was getting confused and coming up with the wrong response, Jesus knew what He was going to do.

And all the while you, today, are struggling, Mom—all the while you are confused and uncertain, and you don’t see any possible way to make things work out right—Jesus knows what He is going to do.

Whatever situation you face, Jesus knows what He is going to do about it. Yes, He might ask you to think and pray things through before He reveals His answer. Yes, He might even ask you to contribute a little something toward the solution (as the boy contributed his lunch). But even in the midst of everything you face—whether pain, confusion, frustration, or all of the above—He knows what He is going to do.

So why doesn’t He tell me??? you wonder. I don’t know. I don’t know why He sometimes withholds an answer long past the time when we plead for one. But I do know that there’s a reason, and it’s not because He hasn’t figured out what He should do to help you. It’s not because Jesus is confused or surprised by your situation and hasn’t had time to make plans. No, His plans for your circumstances were already in place before the foundation of the world.

And at the proper time, to be determined by Him and not by you or me, He will reveal those plans and set them into motion.

Just because He hasn’t put the solution in place yet doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. I suppose Phillip could have concluded that Jesus didn’t care when Jesus asked Him the question. But Phillip would have been wrong.

Jesus’ solutions don’t always come in our timing. But they will come at the right time, and they will be better solutions than anything we could ask or imagine. After all, the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. Jesus not only provided a feast, He provided abundantly more than what was needed.

Guess what? He’ll do the same for us. He’s got a solution in mind that will be so perfect we’ll be amazed.

When? I don’t know. What will it look like? I don’t know that either. But I do know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So I also know that the Jesus who knew what to do then, knows what to do now.

“He already [knows] what He [is] going to do.”

John 6:6—He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Hebrews 13:8—Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

So What?

Megan Breedlove April 23, 2012 No Comments

I recently saw a commercial that made me cry. It starts with mothers all over the world waking up their children to get them started on the day. Then, it goes back and shows those same moms sending their children off to wherever they’re going by bus, train, etc. Next, it shows those same children practicing at their sports lessons—gymnastics, swimming, track. Finally—well, I won’t tell you. I don’t want to spoil the ending. I ask you to watch the video for yourself, then read the rest of this devotional. (If you tend to get emotional, you might want to have Kleenex ready.)

What a marvelous validation of what we do as moms. What a beautiful affirmation that all those unglamorous, routine tasks that we do day in and day out matter.

The point of this commercial is that the incalculable investment a mom makes in her child will one day result in that child being able to “run the race” at the highest level. That’s the point of this devotional, too, though in a slightly different way.

You and I are also preparing our children to run a race. Most of our children will never be Olympic contenders in anything, but they still have a chance to succeed in a way that no one else in the world can.

You see, God has a very specific race in mind that He wants your child to run. He has the course all mapped out. He knows every step along the way and exactly what it will take to make it to the finish line. He also knows that our children will need to train for the race. You don’t race well, by accident. You have to be purposeful about it. And part of God’s plan for training our children is to give them us as parents.

That’s one of the most awesome things about parenting: I am part of God’s plan for training my children to live the life He has in mind for them. You are part of God’s plan for your children. It’s awesome, yet scary at the same time. That’s because our children are always learning from us, whether we intend to be teaching them or not. Everything we do is training them how to run the course of their life. We are either training them to run well or run poorly (or maybe mediocre-ly).

I’m not trying to put pressure on you and me to be perfect. There’s no way we can do that. Yes, we need to parent as well as we can, but God can use even our mistakes to shape our children’s lives. The point I want to make is not that we must be faultless, but that everything we do in our attempts to rear our children—even the small, seemingly insignificant tasks—has dignity and worth.

It’s easy for us moms to get caught up in Satan’s lies that anyone could do what we’re doing for our children, or that what we’re doing really doesn’t matter. But if in fact we are training warriors for God’s kingdom, what we do matters immensely!

Ask any Olympic athlete if his mom’s thankless task of driving him to practice every day mattered in his life. Ask any athlete if her mother’s willingness to sacrifice her own desires in order to have money to fulfill her daughter’s dreams mattered in her life.

Someday, your children will look back on their childhood and realize that every PBJ sandwich you made was important. They’ll appreciate the fact that without your willingness to change diapers, they wouldn’t be the young man or woman they are today. They’ll understand some of the sacrifices you made so that they could feel secure and loved. And more than merely remembering all these things, they’ll be grateful.

So hang in there when it seems that all you do is wipe up sticky messes and remind your children to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, just like you’ve reminded them a thousand times before. You’re doing far more than merely teaching your children to keep a clean house or learn their multiplication tables. You’re helping train them to become the people God intends for them to be and to live the life God designed for them to lead. One day they’ll win their race, and you’ll know that part of the reason they won was because of you.

What could matter more than that?

Proverbs 4:10-12—Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.

Growing, Growing, Gone

Megan Breedlove April 16, 2012 No Comments

Recently, my oldest child, Ellie, turned 9. It’s been 9 years (plus a few days now) since I held my firstborn in my arms and embarked on this incredible, intense, crazy journey called motherhood. 9 years that seem like a mere week.

And if she’s 9, that means she’s halfway to leaving home and going to college (at least, if that’s the life track God has for her). I’ve already had half of the time I will have with her before she’s an adult.

That thought causes me to rejoice and breaks my heart at the same time. Sure, I want her to grow and develop as God meant her to and to have the life experiences He designed for her to experience. But I’m going to miss her when she’s not here every day. What will I do without my precious Ellie a constant, joyful, delightful presence in my life?

Okay, so maybe it’s too soon to start worrying about that. I’ll have plenty of time as she gets even closer to 18 to contemplate those things. But it’s not too soon to start wondering how well I’ve prepared her for life on her own and to make sure I’m doing the best job I can. In fact, it’s time right now, and has always been time. I don’t want her to turn 18 before I wake up to the fact that I need to be teaching her how to pray, how to love, how to defend herself, how to manage her money, how to deal with loneliness, how to serve others. I want to start well in advance of the time she will close the door to her dorm room and my husband and I will turn around and walk back down the hall and outside to our car.

I need to be proactive now. I need to parent with a purpose so that I give her not only the best possible start in life but also the greatest chance to become the person God meant for her to be.

In other words, I need to parent her like God parents me.

God has had a plan for my life since before the creation of the world. He has known exactly who He wants me to be and how He intends for me to get there. He knows the lessons I will need to learn and the skills I will need to acquire as well as the people with whom I will need to come in contact. He’s got it all worked out. All I have to do is cooperate with Him, and everything will work out the way He wants it to.

I find that amazing. God knows perfectly well what He is doing and is infinitely capable of arranging the exact circumstances and details that will bring His plans to fruition. And He can do so not only for me, but for all of His children, whereas I don’t know perfectly what I’m doing with even one of my kids. Better yet, He not only can, but will. He’s got everything under control, and I can trust Him for that, even when I don’t know what He’s doing.

Until I reach heaven, God will constantly be molding me into the person He wants me to be. I want to help shape Ellie in the same way. I want to be purposeful about the things I teach her and the ways I show my love. When she leaves home, I want her to be ready. I want to have done everything God wanted me to do for her.

That means I need to get wisdom from the best Parent there is, who fortunately is my Father. I need to stay in constant contact with Him, seeking His advice and carrying out His designs. He knows how I should parent Ellie far better than I do. And the beauty of the way it all works out is this: As I stay close to Him in seeking to parent my child, He will be better able to parent me. And that’s part of His design for both of us.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7—And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Psalm 25:5—Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Seeing Potential

Megan Breedlove February 27, 2012 No Comments

Recently, I made a cake for my daughter Jessica’s 4th birthday. She wanted a Sesame Street cake like Lindsey had had two years ago when she turned four. The cake was fun and easy to make, so I gladly made another one and stacked the layers on top of each other. Then I got ready to frost it.

I hadn’t frozen the layers before frosting; nor had I planned to add a crumb coat, as I often do. I knew that most of the frosting would be covered by decorations anyway, so I simply began frosting the three layers—blue on bottom, then yellow, then red.

Because I hadn’t taken the time to do something about the crumbs from the cut edges of the layers, the frosting was looking…well, pretty “crumby” (crummy, too). And a portion of one of the layers tried to fall off, causing me to fight with it for a minute or two while I tried to glue it back onto the rest of the cake with frosting.

I was about to cry (being hormonal and 36 weeks pregnant didn’t help matters) when Jessica ran into the room to see how I was doing. I heard her intake of breath, then, “It’s beautiful!” Before I could respond, she ran off to find her siblings, saying, “Come look at my beautiful cake!”

Hmph, I thought, shrugging and looking at the cake again. If she thinks it’s beautiful, it must not be that bad.

I guess whether or not a cake is beautiful all depends on what you are looking for in a cake. If you’re looking at the cake as it is, it may or may not be beautiful at the moment. But if what you see is what your cake is on the way to being—in other words, the finished product—then it probably does look beautiful. Jessica saw her cake was beautiful because it was tall and colorful, and because she knew it would turn out to be exactly what she wanted. That was enough for her.

Too bad it’s not enough for us sometimes when we look at ourselves. As women and as moms, it’s particularly easy for us to look at ourselves and see nothing but the imperfections. We know what we’d like ourselves to be, but we don’t trust the Maker that that’s possible.

What if we saw ourselves the way God sees us? What if we trusted Him to make perfect beauty from what looks imperfect now?

God knows that even though we’re not there yet, we’re at least on the way to being what He wants us to be. He sees the finished product He’s in the process of bringing to completion, not the imperfect intermediate one. He sees the beauty of the work He’s put into us, not the blemishes of the ways we’ve messed up. Sure, He knows we’re not perfect—but He also knows that one day, we will be, because of what He’s done in us.

One day we will be sinless. One day we will get things right—all the time. One day, we’ll be what we’ve always dreamed of being—glorified and beautiful, though physical beauty won’t hold the same importance for us anymore.

If only we could begin seeing ourselves differently right now—on the way to becoming, rather than messed up or imperfect. I wonder how we might treat ourselves differently as well as those around us. You see, they’re in the process of becoming, too. Maybe if we realized that we’re all still in process, we’d be able to give ourselves and others a little more grace. Maybe even a lot more. And maybe instead of reacting negatively to our imperfections, we could rejoice at God’s creative work in us as He gradually shapes us into the perfection He has is mind for us to be one day.

The crumby cake is not what we ultimately are. It’s not our final identity. It’s merely a stage on the way to becoming the beautiful cake God envisions—and it may even be beautiful at the moment. And just like God did for me that day, He may sometimes send us a little reminder—maybe even in the form of a delighted four-year-old excited about even the in-between stages.

1 John 3:2—Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Servants

Megan Breedlove August 15, 2011 No Comments

One of our kids’ chores is to fold their own laundry. My husband (who usually does the laundry) takes their clothes to their room and tells them to sort and fold. One particular day, he delivered the girls’ clothes to their room and told them to get started. All three girls set to work.

As he was leaving the room, he heard Lindsey say thoughtfully to Ellie, “Boy, it’s like we’re servants or something.”

Exactly. They are indeed servants. That’s what we’re trying to train them to be, because God’s instructions for the home are that we all serve each other. We are a team, and we should each do our part to make the household work. Even Jesus Himself came not to be served but to serve.

So being a servant is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s often a really good thing. The only problem is…it’s not always fun.

As moms, we’re well aware that one of the primary focuses of our life is to serve our family. Sometimes, serving is easy—like the other day when my kids tasted the meal I set in front of them and said, “Wow! I give this stuff an A+!” Other times, it’s difficult—like last night when one of my children woke me from a deep sleep to say, “Mommy, I had an accident in my bed.”

My attitude toward serving my family tends to vary according to the circumstances. Yours probably does, too. Sure, we’d always acknowledge that being a servant is important, and maybe even that it’s a good idea, or even a high calling. But what do we do when service doesn’t feel like much except drudgery or being unappreciated?

During those times, we can—and should!—remind ourselves that ultimately, we are not serving our family, but the Lord. He is the One who takes our service personally (see Matthew 25:40). But an interesting point arises in that, in the original Greek, the word usually translated “servant” is more properly rendered “slave”. We are Christ’s slaves.

What does it mean to be a slave of Christ? It means that we serve completely at the Master’s pleasure. It means we’re obligated to continue in service and can’t just walk away at any time we might choose. It means our purpose in life is to carry out His wishes and His will, and to advance His interests upon this earth. It means we don’t get to grumble and complain when the service is not to our liking.

Those are the obligations. But being Christ’s slave also comes with incredible benefits. First, it means we belong totally to Him. We belong! We never have to feel unwanted or unloved, because Christ paid an incredible price to buy us. Second, we are set apart to Him and free from the dictates of any other master. Even the one who wants to master us and ruin our lives (Satan) can’t do it, because we’re not his anymore. We’re now owned by God, and not subject to anyone else’s control. Third, we have a purpose in life. Yes, our purpose is to carry out the wishes of another, but don’t miss the incredible point that in carrying out His wishes, we are also doing what’s best for ourselves. Our purpose now is not to serve the one who wants to destroy us, but to spend our lives glorifying our new Master and thus filling our lives with incredible joy.

So yes, there are obligations. Yes, there are times when the Master will call upon us for service and we won’t want to do what He requires. But maybe it would encourage our spirit be more willing if we remembered that anything He asks us to do will also benefit us. What a gracious and benevolent Master we serve! He bought us from a life that would surely have destroyed us in order to give us a life that will never end. Eternal life. Eternal joy.

Sounds like a pretty good return for a mere few years of service, doesn’t it?

John 10:10—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

1 Corinthians 7:22—For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.

Good Enough

Megan Breedlove April 19, 2010 No Comments

As I write, I’m listening to children’s music about the color yellow blasting from the CD player in the kitchen. The kids have been in the kitchen and dining room for an hour now, alternately dancing to the music and playing with other toys.

Are they having a good enough time?

There’s a lot of laughter at our house. We make silly faces and tell silly jokes; we say silly things and laugh together. Sometimes, we chuckle in delight or laugh so hard we can’t stand up straight.

Yet at times, I wonder…on the whole, are they happy enough?

Every night, I tuck them in bed. Sometimes, I sing over them. Always, I pray for them. Then, I tell them, “You’re great kids, and I love you, and God loves you.”

But are they secure enough?

Most of us moms struggle, at least from time to time, with wondering if we’re doing enough. Are we providing our children a good enough childhood? Are we good enough moms?

The question is so important because the answer matters so greatly. We don’t want to fail our children. We want them to be deeply convinced that they’re loved and lovable, to have the right kind and amount of self-esteem, and most of all, to love God and be like His Son Jesus.

But how can we know if the job we’re doing as parents is sufficient to produce these results?

The issue becomes especially complicated for a mom who didn’t experience love, stability, and security in her own childhood. This mom knows what kinds of things not to do, but she doesn’t fully understand how a strong and loving bond is produced because she never saw it in action. When she makes a mistake, she’s never sure how bad of a mistake it is. So she lives with the constant, nagging fear that the things she’s doing might not be enough to give her children what she never had.

Precious mom, let me share with you what God, in His grace, taught me.

We don’t have to live in constant torment that we might not measure up. Our life as mothers is meant to be so much more than endlessly trying to measure up to society’s expectations, our best friend’s abilities, or even our own standards. The only One we have to please is God, and He does not make it difficult to know whether or not we are pleasing Him.

For one thing, He sets forth some clear, specific guidelines in His Word, the Bible, about how we should treat our children. We don’t need to wonder whether or not we should forgive our children or treat them kindly. That’s spelled out as plain as He could make it.

For another, when we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have God Himself and His wisdom available right inside of us to tell us when we aren’t doing right. And we can be completely certain that He will tell us when we’re doing something wrong, and He’ll tell us specifically.

God’s ultimate desire for us is that we be conformed to the image of His Son—in other words, that we act like Jesus. So if anything we are doing, or failing to do, gets in the way of that, He’ll tell us what it is so that we can repent of it and uproot it from our lives. God won’t leave us with some vague, undefined sense of guilt. He won’t tell us we’re doing something wrong or insufficiently, then refuse to tell us what, exactly, He’s talking about.

What that means for us as mothers is that since God is the only person we ultimately have to please, if He’s not telling us we’re doing something wrong, then we are good enough.

The next time we wonder whether or not we’re being the kind of mom we should be, let’s simply ask Him. If we’re not, He’ll tell us. If we are, He’ll tell us that, too.

May we learn to rest in the fact that though we’re not perfect, we can be the kind of mom who pleases God. And ultimately, that kind of mom is good enough.

James 1:5—If any [mom] lacks wisdom, let [her] ask of God, who gives graciously to all without finding fault, and it will be given [her].

Partial View

Megan Breedlove November 16, 2009 No Comments

My family is part of a homeschool co-op. One of the biggest benefits our co-op offers is called Tuesday School. Tuesday School takes place on Tuesday mornings and lasts for three hours. During this time, students from K-12 can take a variety of classes and enjoy time with their friends. Also during the same hours, there are “classes” for ages infant through four years. The younger children’s classes are similar to Sunday School or perhaps Vacation Bible School.

During first hour, I am assigned to be an assistant in the four-year-olds class. The lead teacher is an amazing woman. She is unfailingly patient, encouraging, and creative, and she speaks to the children in a pleasant, upbeat voice that draws them to her. She possesses the amazing abilities of being able to attract kids into the activities even when they’re distracted and of knowing how to discipline in a truly positive, constructive manner that doesn’t embarrass the child.

One morning, our class went upstairs for the educational activities time. The teacher gathered all the students in front of her and sat down on the floor with them. She showed them a book she had brought. Each page in the book had a small square cut out of the middle. Through the square, you could see a portion of the picture on the page behind it. The teacher asked the children to guess what the picture was with only a two-inch square of the actual photo to give them a clue. For example, the small, square picture would seem to show a desolate wasteland, but the entire picture would turn out to reveal an elephant.

I enjoyed the activity, even though I got most of the answers wrong. The children enjoyed it, too. They would all laugh delightedly together when someone guessed “tree bark” and it turned out to be a volcano. It was pretty funny.

What isn’t funny, though, is when we make mistaken judgments such as these in real life.

Often, we think we see the big picture, when in reality we are as far off as we can be. We glimpse a tiny snapshot of a situation or of our circumstances, and we assume we know the big picture, when only God does.

We see a job loss and think the big picture is financial ruin, when God knows that the big picture is really learning to trust him.

Our child disappoints us, and we think the big picture is that we’ve failed as a parent, when God knows that in reality, the picture is all about realizing that we are not completely in control of any human being, no matter what we like to think.

Or, most painful, someone we love dies, and we see nothing but devastation, when God knows that what is yet to be revealed is the awful beauty of clinging to Him and being enfolded in His arms when the world all around us goes mad.

It’s hard to see pain in the small picture and not assume that the big picture is nothing but more of the same. But only God truly knows how every detail in life fits into the masterpiece He is creating.

The picture that morning at Tuesday School looked like a desolate wasteland; really, it was an elephant. Maybe the small picture in your life looks like a desolate wasteland, too. But what is it really?

Could it be that what looks like a bleak, empty landscape is really part of a beautiful work of art such as only God can create?

It can be, and it is. You see, God takes what looks like ashes to us and makes something beautiful from them. God doesn’t create or allow ashes in our lives to no good purpose. He always has a plan, and His plan is always to His glory. The full picture He is designing is always beautiful.

So what do we do when all we can see is a two-inch-by-two-inch square, and that square looks useless, painful, or agonizing? We trust the Master Artist. We let Him compose the masterpiece. And we don’t worry if we can’t see the whole picture. One day, we will.

And it will be beautiful.

1 John 3:2—Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Isaiah 61:1-3– The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.