How well do you connect the dots? As events happen, do you see how they are connected? Do you see the larger picture taking shape? Or do you simply go from one thing to another without noticing the connection? Have you thought that God works through events to steer you where he wants you to go?
Many things happen around us every day. Most of them are small and appear to be inconsequential. Others are significant and have an immediate impact on us. We are more likely to pay closer attention to the more impactful events and give less attention to the small ones.
Hindsight can give us the perspective we need to put the pieces together. As we review what has happened over the course of a few days or a few years, we can see what occurred to steer us down the path we traveled. The path may a very good path or it may be a path we would not have chosen had we known in advance where we would end up.
We can look at Scripture and wonder how the disciples missed what was going on as they spent time with Jesus. But would we have seen the bigger picture ourselves? Likely we would not have. Yet, we can learn a lesson from them. We should learn the lesson of reviewing the events that have taken us where we are and determine where we are headed.
Jesus had fed thousands with very little food. So, when He spoke of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the disciples missed the point. They were thinking of food and Jesus was speaking of their teaching. They thought it was because they did not have enough food for their journey, He was unconcerned with food.
We can get caught up in the moment, thinking only of what is immediately before us. God works on a much broader canvas. He is creating and directing on a larger scale. Though we cannot see the full picture God sees, we can see a larger picture in our lives. We do that by taking time to reflect on the past and putting the pieces together.
I pray we all take time for reflection. I pray we review what has happened in our lives. I pray each one of us put our faith in God and see how he is working in our lives. Connect the dots. Put the pieces together. See a bigger picture. See where you are headed. See how God is working. Put your faith in him.
Matthew 16:8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?”
Marty Pressey 