MASTERpiece

Life is full of crossroads. There are times that we stand trying to prayerfully decide which road to take. Sometimes there is a right decision and a wrong decision. Then sometimes there are decisions that are right and left. What I mean by that is decisions that could both be permissible by God.

Ridley and I have been approaching one of those major crossroads in the last several months. We felt the Lord's promptings and preparation for us. We simply didn't have all the details, but we kept walking towards the crossroad. Then came the fork in the road. Ridley had to decide whether to continue to pastor or to embrace the ministry that he has outside of our church. Both seemed right and good. It was one of those times I wanted to submit and default to whatever Ridley decided. However, I remembered the importance of my role in praying. It may be Ridley's calling but I am a partner who committed to walk beside him and support him. My support didn't come in a lot of advice. It came with persistent prayer and patience. When you are praying about a decision that affects so many people, there is a great responsibility to make sure and make sure again that you are hearing God clearly and correctly.

It is at some of these crossroads that we have to be "big picture people". I believe there are times we are to live in our chapters and not worry about the big picture as much. However, there are also key times that we need to really step back and be reminded that God is orchestrating a much bigger picture than our brains can even comprehend.

The crossroad for us was a place where our time was going to be stretched and the demands were going to be more than we could devote the much deserved 100%. I think it is important to not wait until you are spread too thin to start praying for direction. If you wait until that time, you may make a hasty decision. It is important to allow God the time to speak to you and to track the confirmations. I began to list in my journal the many little and big confirmations Ridley and I were receiving. There were confirmations in scripture, devotionals on certain days, comments from friends, and questions from strangers. Those events themselves were specific but it was the timing of each one that blew me away.

The Bible is full of crossroads and the people that stood at them. Take Abraham. A man at a crossroad when a God he didn't know or worship asked him to go to a new land with his family. I am glad that Abraham didn't play it safe and stay home. How about Noah? No one had seen rain and he lived miles from the nearest body of water. Building a giant boat made no sense at all. That was a crazy crossroad for him. Then there was Moses. He did his best to argue with God and could have pretended that he didn't see that burning bush. He stood at a crossroad of obedience and had to choose. Imagine what would have happened if he didn't lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Last but not least, there was Jesus. He faced numerous crossroads. How many times do you think He had to step back and remember the big picture....the masterpiece that His Daddy was creating.

You see, we can't bring God down to our level to try to fully understand what He is doing. He is the Master and we are His pieces that He wants to use to create something beautiful. If we don't do our part, then we are like that giant puzzle on a table that is missing only one piece. It could be a 5,000 piece puzzle but that one piece interrupts the beauty of the masterpiece puzzle. As Christ followers, we can't risk it. We can't miss the responsibility and the beauty of our piece. Our Master is counting on us....all of us. As difficult as those crossroad decisions may be, it is truly easier to do the right thing (not always the easy thing) and fully experience a MASTER-PEACE!