He [Jesus] was supreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end, he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe – people and things, animals and atoms – get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.  Col 1:18-20 (The Message)

Some people have a gift of knowing how things should fit together. They know about Liquid Nails and how it can be used in the home. They understand about caulk – where to use it and what it will do. At one time, I had a collection of cassette tapes. They fit perfectly in the lids of paper boxes, and I was talking to my dad about how I needed a place where I could store those lids. It wasn’t long before he brought over a shelving unit he had made that I could slide those lids into like drawers!

Some people have the gift of organizing things and people. They can stack the dishwashers to get the maximum number of items that can be thoroughly cleaned in one cycle. They know how to pack their suitcases when they travel so that they have the perfect outfits for each day of their trip. Some people know how to organize people so that those who are comfortable working with data can keep the statistics and those who are comfortable in reaching out to others will be part of the marketing team.

Anyone who has worked with children (either their own or someone else’s) has come across that child who always does the opposite of what is asked. How long does it take for us to carefully phrase our requests so that this child will be most likely to go in the needed direction? Not that I was ever like that child, but I can remember a time when Mom asked me not to make my bed. I was so astonished that I hopped right to it and that bed was made perfectly!

If we, who are human and filled with mistakes, can learn this art, why would we think that God would be less astute? I believe that we have free will and we can make the final decision, but the best decisions can only be made when we have all the knowledge we can gather. I believe that God gives us all the information we need to accomplish his goals for the universe. 

We may be a bit surprised at where we end up. We may be bored with where we are and decide to answer a help wanted ad in the newspaper. Lo and behold, we end up working in a hospital as the lab secretary typing pathology reports! That wasn’t on any of my aptitude tests!

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She her first book, “Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About,” is available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.