One of my favorite childhood toys
was a simple carboard tube with bits and pieces of colorful plastic inside. I
could turn the small outer ring slowly and watch the myriad of colorful shapes
appear. Try as hard as I might; I could never seem to create the same colorful
pattern more than once. The variety of patterns seemed endless. The bits and
pieces of plastic inside were not always distinguishable. I vaguely recall
seeing a small red heart, perhaps a yellow diamond, but other than that, the
pieces seemed random and undefined. The tiny pieces were not always colorful by
themselves; some pieces seemed bright while others dark; and still new colors
were formed as pieces overlapped each other. I recall trying to count how many bits
there were, but I could never hold the kaleidoscope still long enough to count
them before pieces would shift and a new pattern would appear.
It may seem a little silly, but to
me, this is an excellent metaphor for our daily lives. Our lives are a
collection of emotions and activities—always shifting and always changing. Each
day brings bright moments or dark moments, happiness or sadness, joy or sorrow.
Some days we are too busy to even notice the time fly by; other days the
minutes drag by in slow motion.
For the Christian, our one point of
consistency is our Gracious Heavenly Father. He fully understands the
kaleidoscope of our daily lives and he knows about all the negative bits and
pieces it contains.
Job 7:4
(NLT) Lying in bed, I think, ‘When
will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
Psalm 38:6-9
(NLT) I am bent over and racked
with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns
within me, and my health is broken. I am exhausted and completely crushed. My
groans come from an anguished heart. You know what I long for, Lord; you hear
my every sigh.
Psalm 39:4-7
(NLT) LORD, remind me how brief
my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my
life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire
lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are
merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up
wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My
only hope is in you.
Again, for the Christian, our one
point of consistency is God Almighty, our loving Heavenly Father. He never
grows weary and he is always available to us when we call to him. Not only does
he fully understand all the negative bits and pieces of our lives, he is the
one who provides our source of joy and strength to keep going. God balances the
negative bits and pieces in our lives with positive ones, in fact there are
more colorful positive bits and pieces in our daily kaleidoscopes than dark
pieces if we will just keep our eyes fixed on him.
Psalm 4:8
(NLT) In peace I will lie down
and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.
Psalm 34:17-19
(NLT) The LORD hears his people
when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The
LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each
time.
Psalm
40:3-4a (NLT) He has given me a
new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God...Oh, the joys of those who trust
the LORD...
Psalm
94:18-19 (NLT) I cried out, “I
am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. When doubts filled
my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Psalm
100:5 (NLT) For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each
generation.
When we take time to study the
Scriptures, we can find many contrasts such as the few I have provided. I think
the point is simply that our Heavenly Father knows what a kaleidoscope of
emotions and activities our lives have become. Through it all, he is there,
waiting for us to come to him and trust him as our one true source of
consistency. As I frequently remind you, dear Reader, he is as near as your
next whispered prayer!
To this day I still do not
completely understand the science and mathematics required to place reflective
parts at the specific angles it requires for kaleidoscopes to create such
beautiful displays. But I do know this, God is able to take all the bits and
pieces of our lives and reveal the inner beauty within each of our lives.
Psalm
90:1-2 (NLT) Lord, through all
the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before
you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
Gracious
Heavenly Father,
You know us completely, oh Lord;
there is nothing about us that you do not know. Thank you for your comfort and
guidance during times of need. Thank you for your abundant blessings bringing
hope and joy to our lives. Above all, thank you for listening to our prayers.
In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The
devotional Kaleidoscopes appeared first on Write From My Heart at
https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
Email:
Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scripture
quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
