Simple Faith Christian

Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

          Have you ever spent any time in your life completing one of those connect the dot puzzles to find out what the picture would be? Maybe you played the game where you had to connect dots to make more squares than the person you were playing against? How about any number of new games where you have to put patterns of dots together to clear levels or win prizes.

          Most of us have seen or been involved in some sort of game or puzzles that involves connecting dots or other items. The same can be said of life where we have to bring things together. Bring customers to products, finding a solution to a problem, or just collecting information to have an answer to a complicated question.

          As we go on through life, we learn that some days are easier than others where everything just falls into line or those that can be filled with chaos. Days that are calm and time is not a factor or ones that spin out of control, and you can’t keep up. Even though we would prefer more pleasant days, we know that things can change quickly.

          It is how we react in those times of crisis that can really define us and the outcome to the situation we are in. Some of us may be the calm within the storm no matter what happens, while others of us could be trying to play whack a mole on level 10. The truth is that we all go through both examples during our lifetime.

          I have had to learn that peace can be found in the storm and answers can be found in the chaos. I can’t say that I learned this easily because I can be stubborn and be my own worst enemy at times. Many of you can relate but are not always ready to admit that this happens. For me to get through some tribulations I had to put the pieces together like the connect the dot puzzle mentioned in the first question.

             Our minds can get so unfocused and chaotic that any form of clear thought can be hard to find. In these times we may have to play connect the thoughts instead of connect the dots. I know that I have had moments where I could barely get two words to come together to even form part of a sentence. With such fragmentation comes the confusion to find a solution and any sort of peace.

          We have a choice to continue to struggle or finding a better way. This is where I always find that the Lord can assist in providing direction. In this world of AI we all have the original in the form of the Holy Spirit. He can help find direction like that voice from the GPS except we can be confident that it is leading us to where we need to go. No recalculating or spinning circle trying to catch up to where we are.

          In the opening scripture we have the hope of joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. As always, we just need to ask the Lord to ease the confusion of our minds and to bring us clarity. We may find that some things may begin to fall into place or we may need a more diligent approach by writing everything down.

          I have tried just thinking my way through and have made to do lists to help with the planning, but once in a while I have had to do a brain dump. When things are so overwhelming that clear thought is not possible, you may need to get everything out of your head. A brain dump can truly be connect the dots.

          Start with a blank sheet of paper and write down everything that is bouncing around your mind. I mean everything. Every anxiety, every worry, and every disconnected thought. You don’t have to write complete sentences, it can be just one or two words. And the best part is there are no points off for grammar. Now take a breath, look at the page, and begin to connect what you have written.

          Continue to ask the Lord for guidance as you separate all those pieces and bring them back together in a way that makes more sense. When we ask God to help you write your story, we will find the promise in 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” No more confusion, but peace. 

          You should not be afraid to continue your path forward because the Lord is with us as in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” We will find strength, the help we seek and we will be held.

          We just need to stay connected to the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit as in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We all want to bear fruit in our lives, but it is about so much more. It’s about finding the answers that we seek in chaos of life.

          So, take the time to find all the dots that God has placed in your life. Now start connecting them to see the picture that they make. We have to remember that with the Almighty as the artist the outcome will be beautiful because we are all God’s masterpieces made for a divine purpose. What do you see?

CONNECTED TO THE STRENGTH OF THE VINE

In my mind I can see a winding trail of incomplete fragmented thoughts,
Sometimes just a single word or a string of several tied up in knots.

With disconnect comes confusion or decisions that cannot be made,
Any hope for a plan to be in place tomorrow can very quickly fade.

Taking a leap of faith can sometimes get you ahead,
While jumping to the wrong conclusion can push you back instead.

I do not need to be a raging success but I do not want to flop,
Lord, no matter how I try to slow it down the world just will not stop.

Dear child, you cannot control the outside forces as you think you might,
Their current can easily take you under leaving you too tired to fight.

You can only slow down your reaction and how you are affected,
But if you seek solace in my peace from the chaos you will be protected.

Close your eyes and take a breath then come to me in prayer,
Ask me for the guidance you seek and your burdens for me to share.

Soon all those fragments will come together and answers will fall in line,
Fore when you walk beside me you are Connected to the Strength of the Vine.

Simple Faith Christian

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