Puzzled?

We are on vacation this week and a favorite activity for our family is puting together a puzzle.

I am however, not the most adept at it. Here is what my job looks like. Turn the pieces over, find the flat ones for the edges and then group together simliar colors and patterns. After these items are accomplished I begin to feel a little "puzzled". There are so many different shapes and colors and all of a sudden I just want to stop playing this game. You know what I mean? It is similar to the times that I begin a task that seems way to big for me. A diet, a tough converstion, saying no when I want to say yes, cleaning out the junk drawer, or pushing through the tiredness to finish a workout. It is about this time in the puzzle putting together that my husband Kevin, the master puzzler, hands me a piece and says, "try this one". It almost always does. To every 25 that I have tried he has 10. How does he see where the pieces go? I am too overwhelmed by all of the pieces to see clearly.

God in the midst of this puzzle spoke to me.

"Jann, Jann, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one
thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away
from her."

" fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith,"

I can easily become anxious and worried when I am concerned with the big picture. I think about how difficult it will be and am not sure I will know how to do what is necessary. God used this puzzle to remind me that He is the master at creating our life. He is incharge of all of the puzzle pieces and that He will hand us each piece as we fix our eyes on him. He knows what the picture looks like.

How about you?

• Are you struggling to keep all of the pieces together?


• Does the big picture leave you feeling overwhelmed?
• 
  
  Are you trying to do everything on your own strength?



• Are you having a tough time taking the first step?

Stop and ask God to help you fix your eyes on Him. Let him direct your steps.

Father,

Thank you for using the puzzle to teach me more about you. Your words are true and speak directly to my heart. Take my life and hand me the puzzle pieces. I promise to put them where you direct me to. I love that you are directing this crazy life and that you see not only my big picture but the big picture.

Jann

Things are a little fuzzy.

Image by phr3qu3ncy via Flickr

I just put in my new contacts. I have never worn glasses and have always been thankful for good vision. Several years ago I started having trouble reading the bible in church. I blamed it on the lighting. I remember telling my husband that they should turn up the lights. Little did I know that it was the age thing creeping in. Now I am not so vain as to think that this couldn't happen to me, but I thought that I would have more time to adjust to it. Like a thief in the night my reading ability slowly has become more and more fuzzy. For awhile I tried the readers and would use them for my own times at home and at church. Then I realized that I couldn't really see the 12pt font that my notes were printed in when I was teaching and that I needed to increase it to 14pt. While teaching I also will refer to my bible and then would have to pull out the reading glasses if I was to read the bible correctly.

Thus began the dance of putting on and taking off the reading glasses. Sometimes I would tire of it and just try to wing it.

I am sure that I read the wrong words and people were just too kind to tell me. After a year of struggling, I had an eye exam and found out that I do need glasses for reading. My distance is just fine it is the reading that requires adjustment. Today is the first day with contact lenses. These are the ones for people like me who don't want to wear glasses and let's face it are to young for bifocals. :) I am still getting used to them. I hope they work because things were just to out of focus with out them.



Jesus has a way of helping us see things more clearly.

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:22-25

Sometimes we need a readjustment in our spiritual lives to begin to see things like Jesus wants us too.

If things appear blurry and you need an adjustment, let the King of Kings, the Great Physician make the adjustments necessary to give you a clear focus.

Father,

Thank you for helping us see where once there was fog. Thank you for giving us clarity and new vision. May my eyes be open, my sight restored and please lord give me the gift of seeing everything clearly.

Jann

Hidden treasures

Last week on a cleaning kick I attacked my garage. I don't know if you are like this, but I get all worked up sometimes about throwing things out and organizing. There is a rush in seeing an unorganized mess become a thing of beauty. My husband in trying to describe this need of mine said that "I was being anal. After I gave him the (I am not sure that you wanted to call me that look) said that I was focused! Much better in my mind.

In the corner of the garage amidst the unwanted items and treasures that have been accumulating I pulled out a box of shoes. There tucked inside each shoe was several unwrapped bite size candy bars. I was so confused. Who had put them there? Each shoe was filled with these tiny treasures. In the next box I found the wrappers. Apparently, a squirrel had hid away their winter food source in our garage. I am so glad that the little fellow didn't decide to jump out at me. Who knows what kind of look I would have given him!

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy

and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6

The poor squirrel will never see his prized treasures again. I promptly emptied them into the trash. All of his work and clever hiding are empty successes.

Have you ever felt like this?

Where you

• Planned and programmed


• Watered and watched


• 
  
  Saved and simplified


• 
  
  Worked and waited


• 
  
  Treasured and trusted


• 
  
  Agonized and argued

Only to realize that what you had hoped for wasn't going to happen?

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

What does that mean?

Put your energy into what Jesus says is important.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

Father,

How often am I like the squirrel hiding away my treasures and putting my trust into things that will soon disappear. Change my heart to be focused on what matters. Increase my love for you and you and for your kingdom.

Jann