Pieces of the Puzzle

Mix flour, water, salt, ham, potatoes, other unknown ingredients and a slow cooker and what do you get. A pot of YUMMYNESS! (or is it yummmieness?) No matter, ham pot pie is good no matter how you spell yumminess.

Last night at the men's Bible study, we were treated with Lisa's home made ham pot pie and in a word it was 'Delicious'! There was some irony in this meal for me personally and after sharing that caveat with Lisa, she also shared a poignant moment with me.

I thanked Lisa for making the meal and shared with her how much her food tasted just like my mother's recipe. Of all days for me to enjoy this meal it was Monday September 17, 2018. It was one year to the day that mom passed this earth. I mentioned to Lisa how interesting it was that the meal fell on that day and furthermore that her cucumber salad was also similar to my mother's. How do these things occur like this? It is a mystery to me. I'm not smart enough to figure these things out apart from some divine intervention.

In exchange then Lisa shared her reflection of how the recipe came to her from a former coworker and how that coworker succumbed to brain cancer. Lisa making ham pot pie was and is cathartic to her as she remembers her friend each time she prepares this meal. I guess it is the little things that help each of us grieve a loss and help us remember loved ones.

Compiling a list of events that seem to occur out of nowhere would entail several pages of paper for me. How about you, do you have things happen in your life that at the moment seem to make no sense? Later as one reflects backward we begin to see a pattern emerge. We see a beautiful mosaic of colors and shapes that remind us of God's magnificent care for each of our designs. Mosaics are like puzzles. Each piece is set into a place and as the work unfolds, a picture, known only to God, appears.

For me and my family, sifting through 58 years of belongings in the family farm have placed some much needed pieces into our puzzles. Do we enjoy sorting through dusty and musty belongings? Nah. Never the less, we move forward and God continues to build the picture of the past into our present and moves it to a culmination somewhere in the future. Only God can see that picture and we're left to trust that it will be beautiful and good.

For Lisa, each ingredient placed into the bowl reminded her of a sweet lady who loved life, loved people, and loved preparing yummy food. As the dish came together, Lisa could shed a few tears, smile a few smiles, and ultimately celebrate a woman whose life was taken too soon. What a time could be had by us if we were ever to associate all the pieces of our mosaic to something good that God is doing in our lives. That requires us to receive and accept the pieces that seem misshaped and those with imperfections embedded into them.

"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is

none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say:

My purpose will stand,and I will do all that I please." (Isaiah 46:9-10, NIV)

Can you and I agree that God is good all the time and that God's purposes are for our good and God's glory. This will require us to receive and accept painful events that are unwelcomed, maybe even hated by us. Trust that God can redeem our greatest grief and pain into something so beautiful that even angels gasp in admiration. Take some time to reflect back and see how all of your pieces are being lovingly placed into a picture. Can you see a pattern? Can you sense a calming peace? If not, maybe its time to make some home made ham pot pie.

A Musing Pastor