Mulling Life Over

Sounds like a pretty broad topic, but that's not how I'm looking at it. I'm thinking of the little things: the road accident we were the first to 'happen' on, the online friend that suddenly became an accountability partner, the lighthearted chat in a coffee shop that turned abruptly serious, the guy that checked my tires before the trip, bumping into an old friend.

• The road accident? Yeah, that was all about a man who, in a split-second, lost his wife on their vacation.
• The online friend turned accountability partner? That one was all about a God-ordained understanding of something that other people missed.
• The chat that turned serious? That one was about a fellow believer with some big questions about faith and how to live it out.
• The guy in the tire shop? He hadn't been the one assigned to my car. Would the other person have done the job correctly?
• The old friend? Not sure where that one's going, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'chance'.

See, it's like this: the word 'coincidence' isn't in God's vocabulary. He's got a plan.

You know what I mean.... those little moments that become big moments.

• That 'chance meeting' in a laundromat--with an atheist who needs Jesus.
• The dog that ran in front of your car and made you slow down--just before you entered the school zone and a child darted out.
• That random trip to the library--and seeing that lady crying on a cell phone.

Sometimes the reason for those 'chance' things is immediately apparent. Other times, we don't see the reason for a long time.... maybe never. Regardless, He knows what He's doing.

Here's another way I'm viewing it: We're putting a puzzle together, and God is handing us pieces. Sometimes we see immediately where they fit, and other times we hold them in our hand until another day, when we see where they belong.

And sometimes we try and try and try to make a piece go where we want it to go, and He says patiently, "It doesn't go there. Try the next place." And we wail and say "Why doesn't it fit here?"

You'd think we could remember between times....the word 'coincidence' isn't in God's vocabulary. And He's got a plan.