Connecting The Dots

Do you remember those connect-the-dots pages, where you took a pencil and drew a line from one dot to another until a picture of some kind became clear?  I think the Holy Spirit was having me fill one in this morning as I was reading from the Book of Philippians.

In verse four, the dot was "rejoice in all things."  All things: the good, the bad and the ugly.  In verse eight, the dot was "think on these things."  These things: the pure, the lovely, the just....  In verse thirteen, the dot was "I can do [endure] all things through Christ who strengthens me."  And, in verse nineteen, the dot was "For my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus."

Connect the dots: Rejoice always.............remembering how good God is.............how empowering the Spirit of Jesus is.................how God has always come through for you.  Connecting the dots of God's promises and our own history allows us to view life through the lens of hopefulness instead of helplessness.

We can rejoice, even when the news is bad as we remember that God has "never left you as orphan" (Jn 4:18) and that, despite the difficulties of life, He has always provided "way to stand up under it" (1 Cor 10:13).  Furthermore, as we think on these things we can see how that God has "worked all [these] things for [your] good" (Rom 8:28).

In Christ, when we go through difficult times, we arrive at amazing places in our lives.  We can look back and see what God has done - what God has made out of the mess we endured.  We grow, we achieve, we arrive at a point we hadn't been expecting.  When the dots of our walk with Christ are completed, we see the image of what God has done through and for us.

Haven't you ever looked back on those very lean and difficult years with a winsome grin?  Haven't you ever remembered a hard knock with some pride in overcoming it?  Haven't you ever looked back over a loss to see how much you gained?  How many have been fired to find a better job; had a financial lost to discover how to manage money; failed in one area to surpass in another?

As a child of God, whatever you are facing now, look back, connect the dots of God's faithfulness and take hope in the future for what you can see as the dots are connected is the truth of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jus' Say'n.