A thought by Kyle Idleman from his
book, Don't Give Up (p. 24). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Have you ever tried to put together a
jigsaw puzzle without the big picture on the box? It is almost impossible, isn’t it?
Kyle says, “The big picture is your
guide for the whole process. It shows you where you’re going. It assures you
that everything interlocks in a way that makes sense.”
He goes on, “The writer of Hebrews 11
defines the big picture of the cloud of witnesses as faith.
Faith is the principle that joins all these various lives. Here’s how the
writer puts it: ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance
about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.’ (Heb.
11:1–2)”
Kyle then says, “Faith is a confidence
that keeps believing all the pieces are going to somehow fit together, even
when you don’t have the big picture to work from. It’s believing that God has a
purpose, even when there seems to be no reason.”
Later he says, “We don’t like
uncertainty; we’re taught that it’s foolish to walk into the unknown. Therefore,
we have a tendency to give up if there’s no clear map or GPS. But faith that
endures has confidence that even when we don’t know where we’re going, God
does.
“We do our traveling while trusting in
a satellite in the sky that speaks to a computer in our cars. The directions
come step by step, turn by turn, with plenty of advance notice. No thinking is
required, really. The pleasant voice says, ‘Turn right here.’ And that’s just
the way we like it. Think about times in your own life when you wanted more
details—stress-free movement. Life never works that way, for anyone.
“Not during the monthly heartbreaking
event for the couple who only ever see the negative symbol at the end of their
pregnancy test. Not for the fully invested employee, working hard for that first
big break—only to keep getting pats on the back rather than the promotion she
deserves. Not for those in their late thirties, still waiting to find that
special someone who never arrives. No satellite relays our next turn in the
things that matter most.
“Life’s detours are undeniably bumpy,
confusing, and longer than we anticipate. However, just like actual detours on
the road, once we’ve arrived at our destination, those detours can start to
make sense. Or sometimes they don’t, but we decide that’s all right. Because
the joy of finally arriving where we’ve yearned to be has put the detours in
perspective, even if we don’t understand them.”
That is what faith is. Would you put your faith in the one who sees
the big picture? Would you put your
faith in God? Would you?
Yes, yes!
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