​FAITH HOLDS THE PIECES TOGETHER

 As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord in pieces like squares of a quilt torn and lain in many piles on the floor. An angel sat next to me as I weaved my squares together into a tapestry that reflected my life. Each square, labeled with stories that had been difficult, challenges, temptations, and hardships that left giant holes in the threads that held my life together. As I began to connect the pieces, I noticed how ragged and empty the squares were and as I gazed upon my own life, I felt disheartened and dismayed. "What would God think of me and what I made of my life?"
 
The time came for my life to be displayed, held up to the light of God and for the truth to be seen. My angel looked upon me and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I felt embarrassed to present my life to the Lord. "It was full of holes!" I had to start over many times and often struggled with giving up or losing sight with what God had placed in my heart. Somehow, I didn’t believe that I could do it, whatever it was. I spent many days and nights praying, asking for help, guidance, and direction. God would answer and show me his face in many ways and in that moment, I believed in something but somehow, I would get swallowed up again in that relentless doubt in myself, my gifts, of who God created me to be. I felt guilty that I didn’t believe in myself, in my path, or God in those moments when my life seemingly fell apart at the seams.
 
Now, I had to face the truth. The story of my life was what it was, and I had to accept it. I rose before the Lord and slowly lifted the quilt of my life with all the holes, up to the light. I was afraid to look into the eyes of God. I feared disapproval and disgust. God said, “Open your eyes.” I took a deep breath and slowly revealed myself. I gasped at the sight. I was struck with awe. What I saw was the most astonishing, most beautiful image before me. Light flooded into the many holes in the tapestry of my life. The Lord stood before me, with love in His eyes. He said, “I was always there even when you didn’t see Me.” “Each point of light is when you stepped aside and allowed Me to shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."
 
There is no doubt in Faith yet, life is so full of surprises and twists and turns that it can be hard to take hold of something. It's easier to doubt then to hold fast onto something greater than ourselves. Sometimes, I wonder if doubt is what we hold to because we don’t know what will happen from one moment to the next but Faith, is not about knowing the future. It’s a belief with strong conviction in something for which there may be no tangible proof. Faith is the opposite of doubt. It is a complete trust, a confidence, a reliance, or devotion in what we hope for with the assurance that God is working on it, even if we don’t see it with our own eyes. Faith is felt, our inner navigator and demonstrates an unwavering certainty in that knowing. Faith is strength when we feel we have none and it’s hope when all seems lost. Faith isn't just something to grip hold of when times are tough. It's a continuous devotion of Divine assurance. It's a stream of consciousness that moves through our minds seamlessly. It is the beacon of light that patches up all the dips, rips and holes we may face in life. Faith is the light shining through you until there is more of God than there is of you. 
 
Love,
Jennifer
Author unknown, Story adapted by Jennifer Circosta
Faith Holds the Pieces Together, 11.22.2021