I stopped by the Longwood Art Festival last week and while I was there I noticed a tent with various wooden puzzles. They weren't picture puzzles they were brain-teaser puzzles. Each puzzle had several pieces, a problem to solve, and only one possible solution. These kinds of things intrigue me so I picked one and decided I would solve it, and I wasn't leaving until I solved it. That is my nature, if a challenge is thrown out there I feel deeply compelled to meet the challenge. I remember thinking one day, at the basketball court, how cool it would be if I could throw the basketball backwards over my head and into the hoop on the other end! I stayed there for hours, try after try, until I finally made it. (by the way, it was cool!)

I believe I've found a beneficial quality to this quirk of mine. It has kept me coming back to God in acknowledgement that something is not right within me and I need change. After trying for so long to handle things on my own I grew so frustrated I had to admit even I had limits. I noticed that I was broken and needed restoration. I was faced with enormous challenges relationally and spiritually and I needed resolution. What I noticed was that these were things I couldn't solve or finish on my own. That's when I had to sit once again at the feet of my heavenly Father and acknowledge I needed Him.

Most of our culture is defined by achievement. Work hard. Earn it. You can do it. These voices begin to fool us into thinking we can do anything, or that we should do everything. We gain a false sense of autonomy, a belief that we should be able to take care of any difficulty. Society stokes our frustration by embracing the rich, the successful, and the strong.

But then.... God embraces the poor, the failures, and the weak. (Luke 6:20-25) Between where I acknowledged that I couldn't do this on my own and where God promised to provide I found peace. Peace to know that I don't have to solve everything, and peace to know that God will take care of me. I don't need to know how all the pieces fit together.

There are times when I still exhaust myself trying to do things on my own. There are days when I become so frustrated with my failures and my weakness. Then God reminds me that it's precisely for weak and needy people like me that He sent His Son to redeem and heal. The power of the gospel in my life is when I allow God to do his beautiful work of change within my heart. If have seen how little I can do and how much God can. I find joy in knowing that it's not up to me to 'fix' myself or the world around me. Instead of thinking I'm supposed to do all the work, it's as though Christ has given me the privilege of being by his side while he works.

For that I'm truly thankful, and at peace. Happy Thanksgiving!

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." (Psalm 62:1)

- Josh