Conversations with God

Hello God, it’s me, Mara:

You know, Lord, a long time ago there was a ‘story’ about the local economy in a small-town having troubles so they invited a successful businessman to come speak to them. Picture the scene: the ‘speaker’ places a large piece of white paper on an easel and makes a red dot in the center of it; then asked the group of folks, “What do you see?” One person responds, “I see a red dot.” The speaker said, “Fine, but what else do you see?” Others chimed in, “A red dot.” The speaker asked, “Don’t you see anything else besides the dot?”

The audiences resounded: “no!” The speaker paused, then said, “You have overlooked the most important thing; you have missed seeing the whole sheet of paper!” He then explains that in life we’re often distracted by small, dot-like failures and experiences. They keep us from seeing the blessings and success that are more important than the disappointments that try to monopolize our attention and drain away our energy.

As a volunteer in a classroom long ago, the ‘teacher’ did a similar lesson. Her class also missed the sheet of white paper. She gave a good lesson on how to focus on opportunities when they are presented. She shared what a poet had written, “Two men looked through prison bars. One saw mud, the other one saw stars.” She asked her class, “What are you looking at? Don’t be so preoccupied with what is that you have lost sight of what can be.” She told her class that they should step back and ask God to help them see the bigger picture.

Paul reminds us in 1 Co. 16:9: “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” Opportunities and obstacles go together like macaroni and cheese, or fish and chips. Step back, see the bigger picture, ‘regroup’.

Love, Mara