I was running late for my flight, so I grabbed a few necklaces to accessorize the outfits I would be wearing over the next few days, tossed them all in a small bag, shoved them into the suitcase, and away I went. By the time I opened my suitcase later that night, the necklaces had become a tangled mess.
While sitting on the bed trying to make sense of the tangled mess of gold and sterling silver, God decided to give me a new perspective:
Don’t force it
The more I pulled on the chains, the tighter the knots became and the more frustrated I became. So I stopped, took a deep breath, and laid the tangled group down on the bed. A calmer spirit allowed me to be gentler with the chains, and they finally began to separate. I could finally see where one chain ended and another began. God encourages us to stop striving and lay our burdens down before Him. He will not pull our issues out of our hands; however He will gently bring things into alignment if we lay them before His throne.
Focus on one thing
In the midst of busy lives, it is easy to become overwhelmed by details, priorities, and responsibilities. Soon, they begin to feel as tangled as those necklaces did. Instead of trying to solve all of the problems at once, we can shift our focus to one thing at a time. Choosing to focus on one issue helps us to see it more clearly and allows the time and attention we need to bring it back into alignment. Detangling one issue at a time allows the other issues to fall into alignment in the process.
Remember our purpose
We often allow the things of the world to tangle us up and keep us from our true purpose. Each necklace was intended to compliment the outfit it was matched with. But while it was caught in a jumbled knot of other necklaces, it couldn’t be worn at all. How often does that happen to us? We get so caught up in issues that we lose the effectiveness we were designed to have for God.
When we give our entanglements, burdens, and worries to God, we can trust Him to make them into something beautiful! God will create purpose and refinement from every messy situation we find ourselves in if we let Him. Are you ready to allow God to detangle some things in your life? Let’s lay them down together!
Be blessed!
Jennifer
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1