The following appeared on www.drjaycook.com
Do you remember Bob Ross painting on PBS?
He created amazing paintings and made it look easy. You may remember one of his famous sayings: “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” Put a blob of paint on the canvas, and he would turn it into a beautiful tree, mountain, or other item.
Bob could see the big picture.
My dad and I loved to hunt. One morning in a new area, he left me on a ridge. It was freezing, I was young, and I thought I would feel better if I was walking. I was sure that I knew the layout of the land (that I had never explored), so I set off. You can imagine what happened. I lost my way. I could not determine where I was. I saw trees everywhere, but I could not see where I was. I guess I could not see the forest for the trees.
Life is like that. We are plodding along, dealing with one issue at a time, and never seeing the big picture. We travel so far that we lose our bearing, and we do not know where to go or what to do.
There have been plenty of times when I have dealt with schemes of people with evil intentions, and it seemed like their schemes had destroyed the plans that I did have. But when I have trusted God, He always proved faithful. Things turned out like Joseph stated to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “‘You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people.’”
So, why do we not trust Him more? Why do we not remember His faithfulness when we need Him most? Do we not remember the promise He made to Israel (which still lines up with His character today)? “‘For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the LORD’s declaration – ‘plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
The big picture is not easy to see when you are surrounded by trees. The mistakes do not look like happy accidents when you are dealing with the pain. But God is faithful; He never breaks His word, and He is not going to start with you.
I finally walked out of the woods into a clearing – not knowing where I was. And then I heard a whistle. My father’s whistle. I was no longer lost. I was no longer alone. I was SO happy.
And it never fails. No matter how thick or dark the woods may seem. My Heavenly Father’s whistle always guides me to safety – to a future and a hope.
Your path may not be clear. But He is there. Trust Him.
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