Big Picture?

I think we can all agree that we have different ways of doing things. Some people are right-handed while others, clearly in their right mind, are left-handed. Some like to make sure all the detailed planning is done before they start a project and other just wing it as they go. Some people love meat on their pizza, and other, whom we shall not name, will put pineapple on it. (The audacity!) Ok, I’m just kidding, after all, I should probably try it before I knock it. Isn’t that what I asked of you with the whole ‘pudding on toast’ thing? Well, I think you get what I mean, but something stuck out to me last week in a conversation with Nancy Gardner…

The day was just beginning, and I had just finished our midweek prayer service in the Sonrise room. It was that special time on Thursday morning, coffee with the pastor. These are special times when open and honest conversations happen. It just so happened that Nancy joined me that morning and we picked up on an activity that Mary VanSlyck and I participate in during our Vintage 325 days. We started working on a puzzle while we talked. 

As I said earlier, we all have different ways of doing things, like assembling puzzles. I usually start with the frame, the outside edges, and then work on the inside. I usually have the box artwork right next to me so I can figure out where certain pieces should go. I refer to the picture quite often. However, Nancy shared that she rarely looks at the image and simply assembles by colors and patterns on the individual pieces. I must say that she did say there must be some kind of message in this concept, and of course I would think about it later. 

We are faced with different situations every day. We participate in activities, ministries, family events, and many other things. Do you ever stop to think about how all of those circumstances fit into God’s plan for your life? Do you ever wonder, especially when going through a difficult time, how that could ever be a part of something bigger, more beautiful, more meaningful? Many of you know about the birth of my daughters and how difficult that time was. But more than that, how God was able to use that moment in time to prepare me for situations during my Clinical Pastoral Education time at Rockford Memorial Hospital. During that time, I got a glimpse of the bigger picture, just a glimpse. 

I used to ask God for that view all the time. I wanted to know how everything was going to turn out. I wanted to see how my little piece of the puzzle would fit into God’s wonderful salvation plan for the world. I wonder if you’ve done the same thing. 

Nancy didn’t want to see the big picture of the puzzle. She was content with focusing on the individual pieces. When you narrow your focus, you begin to notice the little things. You see how one prong is oddly shaped, or that a special point in one corner could only fit in one specific place. You notice the connections between pieces, and those are more important that the whole puzzle because if you put two together that are close but not fully connected, the rest of the puzzle will not work.

Maybe we shouldn’t be looking for the big picture. Maybe we need to turn our focus on the individual connections, building those relationships. Maybe we need to trust God to work all things for the good, for those who love him.

What kind of person are you? Are you the kind that wants to see the big picture? Or do you want to work really hard on the individual connections and relationships in your life? It makes you wonder…

It All Started With a Little Gift…

Conflux moments come in different shapes and sizes. They are moments that we don’t expect, nor are they the result from actions which we thought we knew. Take this past Christmas season. Yes, I know that it has been over a month since Christmas. However, there has been something going on for me and another special person for over a month now. It all started with a little gift…

One day I came into the office to find a Christmas gift wrapped in wonderful Grinch paper. It was waiting on my desk without a card or note to say who it was from. These kinds of surprises are wonderful at times, and this was certainly no exception. Inside was a t-shirt and mug with the caption; “Pastor warning, anything you say or do might be used in a sermon.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

I was content with not knowing who the generous person was, however, about a week later, I posted on Facebook an image of this mug, thanking the anonymous person who gifted it. It was only a day or two later that I received my first of many notes from this person, egging me on to find out who it was. I received note after note, clue after clue, but still could not figure it out. I thought it might have been Gwen, Mary Becker, Lisa Eby, Nancy Gardner, and maybe Penny Ball. I dropped hints of my own on social media only to be informed that I was wrong. I even approached some of my ‘suspects’ face to face, only to be disappointed at my error.

I sat down with my ‘evidence’ and poured over the clues. I even examined handwriting from previous cards of encouragement that I keep, ordination cards, and other written correspondence. I even pulled out the ‘time and talent’ forms from previous years and examined the writing of those I thought were involved.

I’m not sure what it was, but I finally hit me that I knew who this person was. I confirmed the handwriting and confirmed the clues that I had. Last night, I approached Carol Zweig at choir and asked her about one of the clues, in effect, accusing her of this wonderful work. She started laughing and glowed as she told me about the things she had done. She even told me how she shared it with her granddaughter and how it affected their relationship. (It was good!)

We laughed and reminisced about all the clues and the process of not only leaving them, but also trying to decipher what was there for me to investigate. It was a wonderful journey, one that almost didn’t happen. Had I not posted the image on Facebook, and had Carol not decided to leave that first note, we would never have this story to tell.

This was a conflux moment where God joined together with Carol and I on this journey of friendship. And even more than that, the conversations that Robyn had with Carol as she shared my thought processes and suspect lists, and all who have followed along on social media with our story.

One more thing, you can guarantee that I will use this story in a sermon at some time! So, I guess the mug was right, Carol.