kaleidoscope Moments

If you have visited my website, simplyjoy.online, you know the first line on the welcome page is, “I don’t believe in coincidences and I don’t believe you landed on this page by accident.”  I say that because I have come to believe – no, I’ve come to know – that God’s hand is in every part of my life.  Even when I make choices that take me off the path, He planned for me.  God uses everything for my good and His glory. 

How many times have you ended up in a situation that wasn’t what you wanted, expected, or hoped for?  Maybe feeling a little out of place?  Questioning a decision, you thought was the right one; even the one God was leading you to?  Only to be wondering, what now?  Or, this can’t possibly be what God had planned.  Sometimes, it isn’t what we do, but what life hands us.  Someone else’s decision shakes our comfortable plan like a kaleidoscope.  Suddenly, things look very different.

A kaleidoscope is a tube that contains loose bits of colored material (such as glass or plastic) between two flat plates and two plane mirrors.  Because of how they are placed, changes in position of the bits of material result in an endless variety of patterns when you look through the eyehole.  It was invented in 1816 by Scottish scientist, Sir David Brewster who was a mathematician and physicist noted for his contributions to the field of optics.

Life, like that kaleidoscope, is constantly changing.  Not every change is easy.  Not every correction is comfortable. Sometimes, life is just hard.  And most of the time, it is out of our control.

Like many people, I have had seasons where I sought the help and support of a therapist.  Someone with whom I could work through the baggage of life and grow as a person.  The last year and a half, I have been working with an incredible woman named Amy.  I didn’t know it when I selected her from the practice website – but Amy is a strong Christian.  I prayed before I went to the practice’s website and God led me to Amy.  No coincidence.  Recently, Amy accepted a new position that would bless her professionally.  But it meant that she would no longer be in private practice; and I would have to find a new therapist.   Kaleidoscope moment. 

I have a friend, a gifted man of God, who was recently recruited by a company for a new job. Three months in, he is not doing the job for which he was recruited.  He has found himself among a team of non-believers who affectionately call him ”preach.”  He will handle it with grace, and I believe it will all work out as promised.  However, this, too, is a kaleidoscope moment.

Those moments when the patterns and plans of our lives suddenly tumble unexpectedly only to look nothing like we thought they would.  The trusted advisor, gone.  The new job, not quite what you expected.  The friendship, feeling one-sided.  The injury, forcing you to the sidelines. 

I used to look at these moments as obstacles.  Challenges.  Even unfair circumstances robbing me of what I wanted or deserved.  I viewed them solely as a loss.  I was wrong. 

Yes, we lose something in these moments.  But we do not have to  lose our purpose or our faith.  Because I’ve come to know that in these upside-down moments, God is working to creating a beautiful pattern.  A new counselor may help me to push myself even harder; or offer a unique insight.  Comfort can produce complacency. 

That new job that isn’t what my friend expected?  He is currently working side by side with folks who, in the position he was recruited for, he wouldn’t be with day in and day out.  It may be that his intended responsibilities were sidetracked so that he could bring the gospel of Jesus to his unexpected coworkers. 

Perhaps that injury that has sidelined you will allow you to draw closer to God, trusting him for provision.  Forcing you to slow down and focus on the things that truly matter.

I don’t believe in coincidence.  I believe in kaleidoscope moments where God takes what we see as unexpected, mixes it up, and blesses us with a beautiful tapestry of opportunity.

You know why Brewster named his invention kaleidoscope?  It is the Greek words kalos (beautiful), eidos (form), and scopos (watcher).  So, kaleidoscope roughly translates to beautiful form watcher.  I think God is our beautiful form watcher.  He sees everything through the lens of possibility.  He sees beauty in our broken choices and arrogant frustration.  He takes the broken pieces and creates a life that is breathtakingly beautiful. 

This week, I encourage you to look at life through God’s kaleidoscope.  Remember, your Father is creating a masterpiece in you.