Time Made Visible
There are moments in life when you can look back and see the plan that came together which was invisible up until that point.
Faith was the only way to see it in the future, the only way to be obedient to the call, the only way to visit the dream and see the problem solved.
Today was one of those moments of clarity when I looked back, astonished to see the clear interlocking design that was being laid in place. My view looked like shattered pieces, broken beyond redemption. But then the critical piece was fitted into place. It wasn’t broken glass; it was a beautiful mosaic.
The missing piece was time: time for God to reveal the truth, time for Him to arrange the pattern. The storm would cease. The wind would still. The boat would float. I was never in any real danger at all.
Leap Of Faith
There are those who believe faith is a leap into the darkness that requires turning off logic. But that’s not it at all. Not even a little.
Faith requires the humility to admit that your plans are self-imposed limitations. That God’s plan is greater. That you can trust Him. That He doesn’t need to be watched in case he tries some shenanigans that require your intervention. That He doesn’t need to be overruled.
All I need to do to see the size of God’s plan is watch the sunrise or see rain hit the ground purified from the sea. I just need to feel a child’s hug to understand that love is invisible, yet fact, as real as a mountain. The complexity of it all is breathtaking.
It is clear God did not need my help. He just asked me to trust the plan, do my work, pray, and sleep. My job became remembering to do it. I had to remind myself not to take up a task that I had neither power nor skill to perform.
The Turn
I was in the middle of a sentence today when it hit me. A friend asked me how I was. As I was explaining, I realized the answer to my prayers was coming out of my mouth in past tense. Done. Finished.
Why am I surprised when God is right?
Things did not turn out as I had planned. It was a better solution, beyond my control, that I could not have accomplished. There were too many pieces and people involved. I would never have even dreamed it.
Hindsight
When I looked ahead no path led across the trackless grass. There was no history to follow, no one’s judgement to copy. But when I looked back the tracks were clear and the grass was parted. The direction of it was unmistakeable and focused.
But my feet also tracked through the scene. My efforts were recorded, embellished, enhanced. My job was not to sit idly by and applaud God’s artwork. Faith without works is dead.
Instead, God worked with my faltering attempts. While I slept, he blessed. Seeds grew. Life emerged. I don’t know how. My part wasn’t required, but it was used and rewarded. God let me add my free will to the plan. I got to share in His creation like a child signing a card with a scratch of crayon.
Faith Forward
With this knowledge, I now move ahead. With this understanding I can now apply faith. It is not blind faith; it is just guided by another’s sight. It is not guessing or hoping or wishing on stars.
It is following the clear voice of the One who loves me.
