Tetris

My youngest daughter Molly is home for the summer....and with her comes her precious group of friends. I rounded the corner to my house this week and sure enough the cars were lined up in front....and my first thought was was glee...they're back! I adore those girls and I so love them being in my house just hanging out. I darted in made some dinner and then had to scoot to a meeting. Being from different schools and in town before chasing their summer plans, they were hanging out in the kitchen just catching up and snacking. Before I left Hayden made the comment that "my mom sure enjoyed the bible study that you all did together last Spring." It was the "Bible in 90 Days" ... Oh, so did I. I gave the rest of them a quick recap of what we talking about...and how cool it was to have such an overview of God's workings.

As a quick overview, I told them about a story in the bible that I knew they would simply love and understand if they read it, it was the story of Esther. And they even seemed to be interested... I explained to them that God's name was never mentioned but he was clearly a part of her every move, the way that he is in our lives. And to further expand my thoughts I compared it to a game of Tetris.

Ok most of you may not even know what Tetris is....but it is a puzzel game where you electronically place blocks that come in various sizes, that are magically are introduced in fast motion, into place... trying not to leave any spaces. It is a game of fit! I am not sure how to better explain it, but believe me the generations of youth all know the game and can relate to it. And I wanted was to just plant a little seed in their hearts that God knows what has been thrown at them, and what will be thrown at them and he will perfectly place and fit that block into his ultimate plan for their lives. I know it is kind of a heavy analogy but the the girls have come to expect this sort of quick story, and I do think they listen even if it is just for a minute.

The more I thought of it the more convinced that "Tetris" is really a great illustration of God's workings. For he leaves no spaces...and though it may not seem so at the time everything that happens to us and through us is a perfect fit for God's ultimate plan. He never wastes a move and everything that happens in our lives is connected to who we are and what we become. God not only knows but delegates and generates his purposes through our experiences. The more we seek his will, the more we are able to differentiate where and why our life puzzle pieces are laid out as they are.

Just considering Tetris in this past week... and how God appropriates his blocks for his purposes. It was amazing to watch as the blocks started coming fast towards my daughter Jennifer and Jon. She was a couple of weeks early, the baby nurse bowed out at the last minute, and Molly, her sweet new baby has had to have casts placed on both of her legs because of her feet. God was there at every turn, placing the needed blocks of help and support in her path and his timing was perfect and his blocks were placed perfectly into his patterned purpose. God remains faithful...and so have they. For they have depended on him, and trust him to guide their decisions and for Him to continue to keep putting building blocks in the places that he sees are a best fit for their lives.

This is the way God is with us. Things come at us fast and we have to figure out how to work them into our lives. The good news is that we have help at every turn. Christ knows just where to place each block as it will be the base for another, support for another and lined up according to his plans and his purposes. If there are spaces ( quiet times when God appears to be silent and on hold) ...then they are spaces designated by God to bring us closer to him. Sometimes the silence is where we finally find our great attachment to him. He knows where the connections are made and where the support is needed. He knows what happened yesterday , what is happening today and what will happen tomorrow. There are no surprises for him. The surprises are for us when we rely on his ability to be our helper and our refuge and strength.

God uses each of our experiences as a building block for our growth, our maturity, and our dependence upon him. For the more able we are to incorporate Christ into our lives, the more able God is to direct us to his peace and his joy in the midst of anything that is before us. It is God who lines things up and fits our pieces together in our lives but they are all according to his purposes, and not ours. God does all this with a love that is so abounding and encompassing that nothing can break his tie with those who love him back.

Ephesians 4:15-17 (New International Version) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Just one more thought about Tetris...once you place a block you can not move it....it is in the past. Just as what we do and what we say can not be undone...it can only be built upon. It is our choice as to build on our lessons for a better good with God's help..or keep focusing on it with regret and forfeit the blessings that God is advancing our way, and has offered before us.

The story of Esther, truly one of my all time favorites in the bible, is one great set of perfectly fit building blocks based on her faith and God's faithfulness. That same God is our God, our heavenly Father...He remains faithful to each of us and has a plan and purpose for our lives just as he did for Esther's. Each day we are given lesson blocks to build on. I urge you, if you haven't already to take the time, to read Esther. It really is a cool story that resonates how God listens to prayers and is faithful to his purposes...in ways that we can not fathom or appropriate. And as always God has his final say in the end. He is constantly working behind our scenes. And our story remains in play as we are built and grown in His grace.

Dear Lord, May we be ready and willing, through our faith and our trust, to accept and place your blocks of opportunities in our lives. Though some may look bleak and many times undesirable, you surely will use those times as remembrances of you Amen