The Bigger Picture

Sometimes I wish I could see the whole picture.  I could see the entire path that God wants me to walk.  Wouldn’t that be amazing? 

But instead God just gives us a tiny piece. A snapshot of what He is doing.  “When you have a few pieces, but no picture, it’s easy to give up.”

Friends, I want to encourage you today: Don’t Give Up. 

I just finished a book with this exact title: *Don’t Give Up by Kyle Idleman.  I love the sub-title; “Faith That Gives You the Confidence to Keep Believing and The Courage to Keep Going.”  I highly recommend this book; it is full of truth and encouragement. 

Listen to these two questions he asks us to wrestle with:

  • “Am I following God in a way that requires faith?”
  • “Do I do anything at all in my life that requires courage and confidence”

He continues by saying “If your answer is yes, then I have a follow-up question for you: Can you tell me a story?”  I love this part.  We don’t share our faith with a long theological answer; we share our faith with our story.  Our story of how God showed up and provided for us when we could only see part of the picture.   Kyle says, “A story of faith is almost always a “don’t give up” story of perseverance.”

Have you ever thought about your story of faith as a “don’t give up” story?

I love how Kyle defines faith.  He says, “Faith is confidence that keeps believing all the pieces are going to somehow fit together, even when we don’t have the big picture to work from.  It’s believing that God has a purpose, even when there seems to be no reason.”

Do you have faith that keeps believing even when the pieces don’t fit together how you wanted or expected?

It is easier to have faith when life follows the path we expected.  It is much harder to have faith when the pieces don’t come together like we hoped and planned.    

It is at that time that we have a choice: Are we going to have faith and trust that God has a good plan or are we going to give up when all the pieces are falling apart?

At that crossroad, my prayer is that you will remember that God has a bigger picture for your life than you can see.  I encourage you to replace your uncertainty with trust, a trust that God has an infinite perspective when we only have a finite view.  Knowing all of this is becoming part of your story of faith. 

Friends, I cannot wait to hear your “don’t give up” story, your story of perseverance.  Praying for you as walk in faith especially when you cannot see the bigger picture.

Love, Jodi

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