I was reminded this morning of a lunch I shared with my nieces when they were very young. I was helping them make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When we pulled out the second slice of bread and put it on the top of one of the sandwiches, one of my nieces got very upset. "It has a hole in it!" she cried. Sure enough there was a one inch 'gaping' hole in the slice of bread. What was intended to be a delicious lunch turned into a mini disaster for her. The sandwich was not what she expected.
"That's not a hole, that's a window," I exclaimed enthusiastically. "Look. You can see right into your sandwich. Isn't that amazing?" I looked intently into the 'window' and she followed suit. The mealtime disaster had suddenly been transformed into a fascinating science experiment. And she was the proud owner of a very special, very unique lunch.
So what 'holes' are threatening to steal your joy today? Have you lost a job or a friend? Did someone back out of a commitment? Did your plans get canceled? Are you staring at a hole in your life and wondering how it will be filled?
Perhaps there's another way to look at a loss. It's healthy to acknowledge the pain of disappointment, but keep it brief. Dwelling on it makes it worse. It magnifies the heartache and gives birth to discouragement. Allowing discouragement to linger leads to self pity and eventually depression.
We need to learn how to minimize the 'holes' in our lives so they do not become holes in our souls that need major repairs. How can we turn the hole into a window? If we've lost a friend, it's painful but it's not the end of the world, even if our feelings are telling us it is. Feelings are real but they can lie to us.
If we do not want to be swallowed up in sadness and self pity, we need to choose to rise above our situation. It is a choice that requires action and commitment on our part. If we do nothing but dwell on the pain, we will slide backwards into the pit of despair.
The first action is to humble ourselves and ask God what He wants for us. If we need a new job, ask God for connections and doors of opportunity. He might direct us to volunteer somewhere. We will be blessed and so will others. It turns the hole into a window of blessing. If we've lost a friend, ask God who to befriend. We might be surprised at who God picks.
The first commitment is to determine in our hearts that we will obey what He is showing us to do. Then do it promptly.
Is the hole caused by a hurtful remark or betrayal from someone close to our hearts? The first action is to forgive and ask God to heal the hurt. The first commitment is to determine to pray blessings on that person.
The hole created by the loss of a friend becomes a window of opportunity for God to bring someone new into our lives that we might not have received had we been preoccupied with the other friendship. God is always moving us forward into new relationships to bless us and to bless others through us. That new friend is out there waiting...if we are open to seeing our 'hole' as a window of blessing.
The hole caused by betrayal is a window through which we come to understand our own sins and God's unconditional love. We understand the Cross and Jesus' sacrifice for us when we experience what He experienced. As God heals our hearts, we become His vessels for sharing His love with others who have also been betrayed. Betrayal produces humility and sacrificial love that we would not learn any other way. It is a window into God's heart for us. It is a window through which we can relate to the brokenhearted all around us.
Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. I Peter 1:6-7
Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. I Peter 3:14
