The Big Picture

How tiring are jigsaw puzzles? 

Well, that’s if you’ve ever done one that is. 

Don’t you ever just wish that the picture on the box would be exactly what comes out of it, instead of all the individual pieces? 

Mmhm, I suppose that would defeat the purpose of doing the puzzle in the first place, wouldn’t it? 

Fine, enough about jigsaw puzzles, I don’t even like them anyway. 

But…

What about life? 

Don’t you ever wish that you could see the finished article; the final product; the big picture? 

And skip all the “meaningless” stuff in-between to get there? 

I mean, the process can be real tough at times.

Trust me, I know the feeling.

I’ve been there, I am there, and maybe you are too. 

Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just get to the good part of our story?

Wouldn’t that save us so much time, pain, effort, suffering? 

Wouldn’t it be easier for God to just “snap his fingers” for you to live the best part of your life, right now? 

This year has shown me how little control I have over certain aspects of my life. 

It’s taught me that sometimes the only thing that I can control is my level of trust in God. 

Even when He doesn’t give me all the details; even when it doesn’t make sense; even if my frustration; even in my struggle; even when I…just can’t see the big picture. 

I wish I could tell you that it will all come together one day, but I often find it difficult to believe this myself, sometimes. 

Mmhm okay, maybe most times. 

I mean, in reality, exercising faith, you know, when you can’t see a way out, is no fun at all.

I don’t know, maybe you’ve received a bad medical diagnosis, maybe you’re in a dead end job, maybe you feel lost, maybe where you are at this present stage of life just isn’t where you expected to be, or maybe you’ve lost a loved one that you thought would always be there, maybe, life has just taken a turn for the worst and you’ve taken hit after hit and it’s just too much too handle and you feel like God has let you down.

I’m afraid that I can’t give you “7 easy steps to seeing God’s Big picture materialise in your life”

I know all too well the feeling of being overwhelmed with the trials of life and without knowing how to navigate it all.

And it’s hard to see how things can get any better.

Is there even a big picture at the end of this? 

If there is, is it all God has made it out to be? 

Do I even want to be a part of it? 

Is it something worth fighting for? 

And if it is, how do I activate the faith required to keep going when I feel like giving up? 

How are we meant to have enough faith for the big picture when we don’t even have enough faith for the here and now? 

How are we suppose to believe in God’s greater plan for our lives when we can’t even see how we’ll make it through today, tomorrow, next week or even this year? 

I just wanted to let someone know that God understands you. 

Not just that, He also sees you and knows your heart; your pain; your hopes; your dreams; your fears; your future. 

And he loves you dearly. 

He’s just as good now as He was back then.

Maybe, he is trying to build in you an immovable faith, one that can’t be shaken and He wants you to stick with it till the end.

We then have to learn to be super intentional about trusting His perfect plan for our lives.  

John 13:7 says “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

I don’t know everyone’s individual situations, but I can promise (also telling myself this) it will all make sense soon, even if it doesn’t seem that way right now. 

How do i know this?

Because in 1 Corinthians 13:12, it says “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

I always tell myself “you have to believe those words, Shane. Because what else can you do if you don’t?” 

No matter the circumstance I find myself in, it always comes back to God, the one who knows and loves me completely.

The one who is in undeniable control. 

The one who has come through for us countless times.

The one who promised to “complete the good work He started in us” (Philippians 1:6)

Interestingly, Paul confidently penned these words in chains, from a prison cell. Let that sink in. 

Because when we really think about it, even though in reality, life really can be hard, and some of us may even feel worse than Paul at times, our God has still been so faithful.

Even when we don’t see it in the moment. 

Even when we’ve ruled him out. 

His track record has and will always spotless. He’s never failed us and He never plans on changing that. That’s just who He is!

His big picture is more beautiful and complete than we could ever imagine and is totally worth not giving up for!