The Jigsaw Puzzle

I don't believe in coincidences. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes you see why, but most of the time you don't. It's not your job to make sense of everything, you just roll with the punches and trust that someone out there knows what he's doing.

It's interesting how once you learn about something, you start noticing it more and more in the world around you. This happens to me pretty often: I would learn an obscure word that I was certain I have never heard of before, and then the moment after I learn it, I start hearing it everywhere I go ... on the news, in the mall, at the office, on the web. It's like as if a small piece of darkness have been removed from my world, and I start seeing things in a whole new way.

For example, the word Antediluvians, the name our cell group adopted for ourselves because it's somewhat related to H2O (water). Right after I found out what it meant, I started seeing the word used in the books I read, I start seeing it in Starbucks (Akeelah and the Bee), I start using it like a short adjective.

Or even tonight, my friend Matt was telling me to go visit him in Oregon, tempting me by saying they have the biggest bookstore in the whole world there. Pretty obscure fact, right? Then not even 10 minutes later, I was reading a book and the author mentioned how he went to Powell's, the biggest bookstore in the world, for a book reading. My brain started cranking and putting it all together ... Powell's - biggest bookstore - Oregon - Portland - oh ... it all makes sense! And even more strangely, my friend just confirmed it for me on his blog by noting that he had went to Powell's just earlier tonight.

Life can be strange like that. One second you're waddling in ignorance, then the next everything becomes clear. I wonder if everyone had used these obscure words or name these obscure places all along but I was ignorant enough not to notice it.

I think that's how God is like to some people. To them, God is like this obscure word they think they have never heard of. He has always been there, but they were too ignorant to notice or acknowledge Him. All it takes is for someone to tell them who God is, to show them with their life, by their love, with their time ... then everything becomes clear. All the pieces come together, and they start to see God in everything. They think back and realize that God has been there all along. But only in their ignorance, in their denial, have they missed out on Him.

Father, release me from my own ignorance. I think I know and understand so much, but it has done nothing but to feed my ever expanding pride. Humble me before you, oh God, break me down so you can piece me together again ...