By design my boys have been sharing a bedroom since the youngest was born. We have the space and had always planned to separate them when the time was right. This summer has been that time. We have spent a lot of hours gutting and redoing what we had been using as a playroom. It has been turned into a bedroom suitable for our oldest, who is about to start middle school.
We elected to get a couple pieces of furniture that we had to put together. As a quick side note, I am happy to report that we successfully accomplished that task, and no one was seriously injured in the process. Our marriage also survived the effort.
I had put some small pieces of furniture together in the past, but it had been a while. It’s still the same. We got the pieces all laid out and looked over the instructions before we began. We had directions but we still managed to make a couple miscues along the way that had to be corrected.
It was looking at these labeled pieces that got me thinking. I so badly want life to be labeled that way – by steps one at the time telling exactly which piece goes where and what is needed to attach it. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a step-by-step guide that said this friend will connect you to that job? That job will then connect you to that spouse. That spouse will help you make beautiful babies who grow and become interested in all sorts of activities that build your community. It would be good to know which friend is truly for you, what career path will lead to the fewest struggles, or the best way to effectively parent our children.
I’ve had many times in life when I wondered about a decision that needed made. I wanted to make the right choice before I got to the next step. Directions, a list of needed tools, and a properly labeled pieces would have sure come in handy. I bet you’ve experienced similar times when you just weren’t sure of the right decision. It’s not that there’s always an inherently wrong choice, but you want to make the best decision, so you don’t have to do undo mistakes. Unlike with the furniture, it is seldom as simple as facing a right versus wrong choice.
Friends I’m here to tell you that God has given us some instructions. He has given us Scripture and prayer. He is your 24/7 support. He speaks your language. Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
In everything we are to humbly ask God. He is our instruction manual. Your supply list will include the Bible, and likely some combination of a pastor, parents, music, books, and friends, etc. These are the pieces and tools that will help you put your life together. All the supplies will be there (Philippians 4:19). Nothing you need will be missing. You and I might not have the same set of pieces and tools, but we will have what we need.
We don’t have to know or understand all the steps at once. We don’t need to solve step two before completing step one. A moment of vulnerability here: I am terrible about wanting to jump ahead to next steps. Terrible. I want to know everything I’m going to need, how long it will take, who will help me, and preferably what it will look like then.
Friends, that might be how putting together prefab furniture works, but it’s not how faith works. We ask God one step at the time, and one step at the time He provides. Some pieces may have been in place for a while, but He will reveal further instructions on your obedient completion of each step.
We don’t have to worry (Matthew 6:25) about the finished product. If we’re consulting God on each step, it’ll turn out as it should.
