OUT OF SORTS....SORTA

     Sometimes, things just don't go my way. And I can get slightly "out of sorts". I like my life neatly planned out, scheduled, on time, without drama, and mosquito free. But life is rarely like that. Especially the mosquito free part.

     I have a favorite comic strip I read every morning. (Yes, I read the printed paper every morning.)  It's called "Mutts". And one day, one of the characters said he was feeling "sort of unhappy, sort of unsatisfied, sort of unsure, sort of queasy, sort of ..... Out of sorts!"  Day to day life is not easy and can make us feel out of sorts. Life changes quickly, rarely goes as planned, is rushed, full of heavy traffic, and most of the time, full of drama and mosquitos. Life requires a lot of flexibility and I admit, flexible is not something I'm always good at being.

     The past year has been full of change. I turned 50. I changed jobs after 24 years at my old one. I received some unsettling news. I've been disappointed and wounded by some I should be able to trust. The beginning of menopause has crept in.  Change, has been the only constant in my life over the past year. It has been an "out of sorts" kind of year.

     Thankfully, while life is full of change and surprise, we serve a God who is sure and steadfast. He himself declares "I the LORD do not change." (Malachi 3:6)  God is unchanging, good, trustworthy, faithful, wise, and sovereign. When everything else is spinning OUT of control, God is always IN control. Nothing catches Him by surprise and He is never "out of sorts".  Life can knock us out of our seat, but God is always on His throne. 

     When life gets "out of sorts", I can go to the throne of grace, to God Himself.  There I rest secure in His mighty hands, trusting Him and knowing that whatever happens, God knows me, God sees me, and God loves me.  He's waiting for me to call on Him, leave my burdens with Him and find peace and mercy in this "out of sorts" world.  I will find help in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

     And, at the throne of grace, there are no mosquitos.

The Bird Feeder, My Obsession

                                               

For Mother's Day, my brother and his wife gave my mom a bird feeder. And, I really, really liked it. I wanted one. For MYself, for MY yard, for MY birds. But I didn't feel like we had the extra money to spend on a bird feeder and stealing my mother's new bird feeder wasn't an option.  So, I went for a few weeks without the bird feeder.

You know how your mind works when you want something? My mind did a lot of talking to me.  "If only I had the bird feeder I could feed the birds." "The bird feeder really doesn't cost that much, just buy it!" "It would look so nice in my yard and I would SO enjoy watching the birds!"  On and on it went. The more I thought of it, the more I wanted it. It occupied my mind, It became an obsession.

Recently, Rod and I went to Lowe's and lo and behold, there IT was. THE bird feeder. We were there for an electrical cord and we came out with the cord and THE bird feeder. And some seed.  And some light bulbs. Now, my life would be complete. I finally had MY bird feeder. When we got home, Rod drove the shepherd's hook into the ground and with great ceremony, THE bird feeder was hung onto the hook. MY bird feeder, to feed MY birds, strategically placed in MY yard so I could see it from MY swing, on MY deck. Life was good, complete.

Only, it really wasn't any better or different than before I had the Bird Feeder.  Or maybe I should say, any more complete. Just because I had finally acquired THE Bird Feeder, circumstances in my life had not changed. (Except that now the birds had more to eat.)  As I sat on the swing, gazing at MY Bird Feeder, I realized that the bird feeder didn't change any of my circumstances or life's issues. I wasn't any more content having THE bird feeder in my yard.

Life is like that. We want THINGS. And we believe that THINGS will fix what's wrong, missing or incomplete and make us happy and content. That's what the world wants us to think.  If we just had that new car, that bigger house, that perfect mate, the perfect job, nicer clothes, a pretty bird feeder etc.. We can get preoccupied with our wants. Our "wants" can become an obsession and then they become our idol. And our idols take us away from loving The Lord "will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might". (Deut 6:5)  A dangerous thing, things are! Materialism will never satisfy. And we can never fill the empty places with things. We can't make happiness with things. Only God satisfies. Only God can fill what's missing and "complete" us. Our fulfillment can only come from our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Our joy can only come from knowing the certainty of our future IN Christ. Our obsession should be God and God alone.

You know MY Bird Feeder?  It's lovely and the SQUIRRELS love the bird seed!!! I must say they are pretty fat, happy, and content!

THE PUZZLE PIECE

Some people like to create beautiful pictures out of puzzle pieces. For some it is a way to relax, others like the challenge. For me, the challenge comes from sitting still long enough to hunt for the right pieces that fit together without going totally bonkers!

A puzzle is a funny thing. A box full of pieces.  A bunch of seemingly meaningless pieces that fit together to create "something". When you dump the pieces out of the box onto the table, it's hard to see the "something" (unless you study the cover of the box). And if one piece doesn't belong, it can ruin the whole picture. And drive you bonkers.

People can be like puzzle pieces. And sometimes we can feel like we are in the wrong box. When in the right "box", we fit together nicely with others, working together, playing together, worshipping together, enjoying each other, creating a beautiful masterpiece. But sometimes we just feel like we are in the wrong box. Nothing wrong with the piece, we just don't fit. We just don't seem to interlock with the others.

Thankfully, God can take the wrong pieces and place them where they belong. And he can create a masterpiece. We may feel like we don't fit. We may feel out of place. We may feel lonely. But with God, we always "fit".

Imagine how Rahab must have felt when she first came out of Jericho. The walls came down and "The Prostitute" (now former) moved into God's family. How strange their ways must have seemed to her. How lonely she must have felt at first. How out of place.  A Gentile among the Israelites. Surely she felt (even though she believed in the One, True God) that she didn't "fit". But God, in His faithfulness and love, took "Rahab the Prostitute" and placed her in His family and she became part of the beautiful puzzle. Part of the beautiful masterpiece.  So much so, that she became a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Remember Rahab and the Puzzle Piece the next time you feel like you don't "fit".   The next time you feel like you are in the wrong box. The next time you feel out of place or lonely. Remember you are special to God and you are His masterpiece, thought of before time, created for something special. In God's puzzle, you always fit. You are never in the wrong box.

"But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho-and she lives among the Israelites to this day." Joshua 6:25

"For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10