A Lesson From My Jewelry Box

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 (NASB)

I recently cleaned out my jewelry box.

Now, I can't prove this, but I have reason to believe that - even after carefully replacing my necklaces before closing the top - a mini cirque du soleil happens in there. It must, because when I open the box again, everything is all tangled up. Things are a mess.

So the other day, I sat down and took on the task of untangling them. For some reason, I discovered: the more expensive the necklace, the thinner the chain, and the more impossible the knot. Just as I was able to loosen up one tiny section, another would only tighten up. I played with it for awhile - pulling here, then there, when I finally figured it out. In order to untangle necklaces, you have to be able to work with both ends at the same time. Once you can see the beginning - and the end - of the same chain, it's not at all difficult to untie the knot and free the necklace from its tangled mess.

I suppose we all go through times when we feel as if we're living someone else's life.

Children grow up and move away. A close friend dies. The doctor delivers a bad diagnosis. The world's financial marketplace takes a dive and our retirement accounts follow. Our lives - and our stomachs - become all tied up in knots. Tangled. Things are a mess.

But I know the One who is able to see the beginning and the end at the same time. From His vantage point, it is not at all difficult. As long as I place myself daily in His loving hands, trusting Him to tenderly work through the various twists and turns, allowing Him to gently untangle the mess - and set me free.

Suzie Thomas