“Mommy, can you help me put this together?” Lydia held up pieces of a small LEGO alligator. “Sure, but why did you take it apart?” I asked. Lydia gave me the directions and said, “Because I wanted to put it together myself.” I quickly understood that she only wanted me to supervise!
I held the directions and let Lydia do all the work. There were eight steps—little wordless pictures—and just under thirty pieces. I flipped through the pages while I waited.
From my angle, I could see how each step sets up the next. Skipping even one LEGO piece could make the rest more challenging… While it was a fairly simple alligator, I turned it into a short lesson…
Recently, Lydia came home and recited a Bible verse for me at dinner. “Lydia, do you remember Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says ‘lean not on your own understanding?’” I asked.
She nodded yes and kept building her alligator.
I showed Lydia the picture-directions. “Well, sometimes we want to jump to the last page first—like where the alligator is finished—before it’s time. But God doesn’t always show us the end. He has a good plan for each of us, but we have to follow each step as God shows us. We have to trust Him to help us do what we need to do.”
Then we discussed how silly the alligator would look if we forgot something important like his teeth or scales—both middle steps. Also, if we started with the alligator’s eyes—the last step—working backwards to add pieces would be difficult.
As we talked, I felt convicted. At times, I have tried to jump ahead and bypass some key steps along my unique God-given path. I try to figure out all the details myself! I assume I know the plan, the end goal, what’s next and what’s best. Hmmm…you too?
When it comes to our own dreams and plans, often we want to skip to the end, the desired outcome. This may be a promotion, graduation, celebration, etc. It can be frustrating when it looks like we are not making progress. We work hard… and we wait… and often, we worry that we will miss something big.
When challenges come, we either want to give up or take matters into our own hands. We want results! But God things often take time. And it seems He has a special way of doing things, which doesn’t always make human sense.
Thankfully, I don’t need to know the entire plan or how it will all pan out. I can focus on knowing Jesus and understanding His heart for me. Since I am His precious child, the Lord loves when I ask for His help and input! And when the timing is right, He will show me the next steps to take.
Often, God says NO to something on my behalf, so I can say YES to something better.
It takes trust while I wait! For me, this is where “lemonade” comes in. It’s not just having a good attitude or making the best of my circumstances. (Though, those are important.) It’s knowing Jesus will make something sweet from the sour, something good from the bitter.
It’s trusting God’s plan is greater than mine. His plan is not all about ME. Indeed, my finite mind cannot imagine how God keeps track of His infinite Master plan and the ways all our lives intertwine! That would be a little chaotic for me to organize!
Maybe your life is in transition. Maybe your life looks totally different than expected and you have no clue how it will turn out. I understand.
When your vision doesn’t match your current reality, hang on. It’s not over yet. When you cannot see, rest in Jesus’ unfailing love and grace. He loves you dearly!
God orders our steps even when we don’t understand why. He may be protecting us, asking us to serve others, growing our faith, or developing our character.
No matter what, He is faithful. We can trust Him to come through for us—He always does. Yes, we can LEGO and let God!
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Heavenly Father, thank You for ordering our steps. Thanks for Your unfailing love and grace. Give us wisdom and courage, patience and peace as we trust in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Questions: Can you think of a situation where you have wanted to skip to the end result? Can you see God’s wisdom in how it turned out?
Tasks: If you are in a transition, pray for wisdom before making any decisions.
