Sitting there on the table was a half done puzzle.  The pieces were strewn about the table and some still in the box.  Somebody had started it and then just walked away.  I sat down at the table with mindless ambition.  I started picking up the pieces and just moved them around.  I didn’t really want to put the puzzle together, but it gave my hands something to do.  Before I knew it, a part of the puzzle’s picture had appeared.  Soon I found myself engaging in finding and fitting together the pieces.  Finally, the last piece was in place but there was still a hole in the picture.  A missing piece!  How frustrating.  Then I heard the voice, “Miss, your mother is done with her exam.” 

I sat in countless waiting rooms while my mother endured endless testing and exams in search for a cure for her cancer.  In the hospital waiting rooms were puzzles for those who were waiting.  In the end, my mother’s cure was a heavenly one, but as I reflect on the experience, my mind settles on the puzzles. How often do we spend countless hours trying to fit all the pieces of our lives together only to find that there is a piece missing?  We search and search for the missing piece when what we are missing is God’s peace.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  John 14:27 (ESV)

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

~ Why is that bird chirping at 5:50 am? Doesn’t he know it’s still dark outside? This is the thought going through my sleep-laden, coffee-depleted mind at that time of morning. After a few minutes, with cup of coffee in hand, my mind changed perspectives. Why is he singing in the dark? Maybe it’s because he can’t help it. The song just had to come out. Have you ever had that feeling? You randomly burst into song because you just can’t contain it? Come on now, I know you have. Even Paul couldn’t contain his singing even in the worst of conditions. Sitting in a dark, dank, disgusting prison, we find Paul and Silas singing.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” Acts 16:25 (ESV)

What is it about singing that lifts the spirit? God gave us a wonderful gift when he blessed us with the ability to sing. Paul and Silas were bound in chains, sitting in the dark and singing. These two things at first seem to be diametrically opposed. Darkness and singing. What we can learn from Paul and Silas is that we always have a choice of how to react no matter the situation. So, if you find yourself in a “dark” place, try singing. Just close your eyes and sing. Because what comes from your heart belongs to the Lord. So give it to Him.

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” Psalms 95:1 (ESV)

Time… four small letters that brings to mind a commonality for us all. “What time is it?” “What time does it start?” “How much time do I have left?” Time is threaded through the fabric of our lives. But how does God see it? He gave us the sun and moon to mark our days, months, and years. He is the creator of our time. He keeps the Earth rotating on its axis to keep time moving forward. While we focus on the finite minute-to-minute details of time, God sees the bigger picture.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is our life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14

Do we honor God with our time? We get so frustrated with our perceived lack of time. It is in these moments that we should stop and thank the creator of time for what we have been given. In writing this I am speaking to myself most of all. I have more than a thousand things that I should be doing. But in the midst of chaos, I must remember that the time I have is a gift and that is why it is called the present.

Take some time today to read Ecclesiastes 3:1-14…

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Hello friends! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out my blog. For those of you who know me you are probably wondering how in the world I am finding the time to do this! My goal is to share the thoughts that I have been writing down on paper over the past few months. I want to bring focus to God and the wonderful things He has done for us. Ultimately this life is about Him and not us, right?!

~Suzanne