May 2023

When was the last time you were so frustrated that you just wanted to throw in the towel?  When “whatever” was so bad you were just done with it?

A couple of months ago, my 86-year-old dad and I started putting together wooden puzzles. On the surface wooden puzzles seem to be like traditional jigsaw puzzles. But no, they are a whole different beast. Wooden puzzles don’t typically have identifiable side or end pieces, and you can’t group the pieces together by colors.

Since we started our wooden puzzling hobby, my dad and I have progressed from small 100-piece puzzles to bigger ones with more than 300 pieces.

We were feeling quite accomplished.

Enter grizzly bear (pictured). We may have met our wooden puzzle demise. This puzzle is impossible.  It is just too hard, too brown, too many different shadings, and too many pieces. It is one of those puzzles where NOTHING happens for hours. It is so frustrating that neither one of us wants to work on it any longer.

But then, a piece fits into place.

A slither of hope emerges. One tiny piece at a time.   
 
I kinda feel the same type of exhaustion when I think of our world. The brokenness is too much, things are too messed up, people are so mean, and now, even our news stations are making news.  As if we didn’t have enough going wrong in the world. Now the networks add their drama to the mix!

Most days I don’t know where to start.

But God, just as I was giving up hope and becoming a “glass half empty” type of person, God blessed me with amazing conversations recently.

Last week, I met with men and women, young and old, who are on the front lines of our communities fighting for civility, truth, the unborn, and the future of our country. These grassroots efforts are helping to preserve the foundations of our democracy.  

In the education sector, I talked with teachers, parents, and administrators who are raising students to be kind, civil, faithful, and productive. Rather than commiserating on the woes of our educational system, they are truly making a difference.

I attended two fascinating events – one with medical students and the other with scientists. At each, I learned about research focused on human life and the environment around us. People are working to make our world more humane and healthier for generations to come. 

And I spent time with Godly friends leading churches and ministries by holding fast to God’s unchanging, inerrant word. They are confidently standing against the scandals and secularism that are becoming so very prevalent in our churches.

God showed me HOPE! These super smart AND engaged people are using their God-given talents to make our world, our nation, our communities, and our families stronger.

Throughout the bible, there have been challenging times when God’s people were enslaved and minimized, and nations were overthrown. Those were some tough times. Yet, God was faithful. God’s plan was not and will never be thwarted. In 2012, Tom did a series entitled “Faithful” from the book of Daniel. In this lesson, about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Tom highlights the need to be engaged in the battles of our day. Daniel and the boys found ways to remain faithful and holy, even when the going got tough.

Friends, it is not okay to give up, sit back, and do nothing. We are called to take one faithful step after another, reflecting Jesus to those who are in the dark and glorifying God in all we do. 

So how about it? Will you pick up that one small piece and fit it into the puzzle?

Your action today will give hope for tomorrow to those around you.