Walls and Dots and Sheep

It was an exquisite stone wall.
I had never seen anything like it.
Such precision.
A completed puzzle before me.

Obviously constructed by a master craftsman.
Made from the field stones that were scattered about.
Massive stones jutting out in exactly the right place.
Small stones filling in the gaps.

There were no empty spaces.
Someone planned and executed a seemingly flawless design.
I looked at that wall and metaphorically saw a life.

Life is lived forward but understood backwards.

So often, we are in the midst of a situation and we just don’t see clearly.
Things are muddled…disjointed…nothing makes sense.

I used to love the connect the dots coloring pages when I was a little girl.
When I was very young, the dots would have letters, which helped as I learned my ABC’s.
As I grew older, I had to connect numbered dots…in sequence.
I absolutely loved those pages in my coloring books.

It was always a challenge to try and guess what the picture would finally be.
Sometimes, you could guess as you went along.
Other times, all of the dots would have to be connected first…in order to see.

In some situations, only one line is completed in the connect the dots picture of my life.
It is hard to trust God for the rest.
I want to color it in NOW!
I want to connect all the dots and see the finished picture.
Then I will understand.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6)

God…the Good Shepherd…is leading His sheep.
God…the Master Craftsman…has exquisitely designed each and every one.

Whenever I feel frustrated, I think about being His sheep.
I need Him to lead me.
I need to hear His voice…there is such protection and comfort there.
I bleat loudly…just to make sure He hears me.
He always does!

A sheep will follow another sheep right off a cliff, without a Good Shepherd.
A sheep can easily be attacked by wolves if the Shepherd is not in the gate.

His sheep have everything they need…one day at a time.
The Shepherd leads His sheep to green pastures…that are just enough for today.
The Shepherd leads His sheep to quiet waters…just enough to quench today’s thirst.

Like the exquisite wall, our lives are lived piece by piece.
The Master Craftsman begins to build the wall one stone at a time.
Only HE knows the design that He has planned.
It is not obvious to anyone looking at all the unconnected dots.
A heap of rubble is all anyone sees.

He begins…painstakingly placing each stone in delicate balance.
He fills in the gaps with tiny pieces that an unskilled eye would have missed.
A puzzle that only HE knows how to complete…one section at a time.

Intricate beauty.
No two walls are the same.
The sheep are protected…trusting Him day by day…piece by piece…dot by dot.

The wall is sturdy.
The picture is finished.
Every dot connected by His Hand.
HE knew what it was going to look like all along.
It is exquisitely beautiful!