What Can You Make With That?

I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.

After almost two decades of parenting, I’ve learned that there are two different kinds of LEGO kids. One LEGO builder opens the box and follows the instructions to build a structure that will sit on a bookshelf or desk for display. The other LEGO builder does the same, only he or she has no illusions of permanence. When a new creative idea strikes, the structure undergoes dismantling. Bricks used to build a Millennium Falcon combine with pieces from a LEGO Friends pet hotel, and a totally new idea emerges. There’s no set of instructions for this one. The end result is entirely in the mind of the creator.

As the Israelites sat in Babylonian exile, Jerusalem’s destruction left them with few illusions of rebuilding. Even if they could get home to their ancestral lands, the task of sorting out the rubble and starting new would be daunting. Like taking pieces from one LEGO structure and snapping them onto another, rebuilding efforts would require painstaking care and a fresh sense of creativity. What could you make with the mess of the life you’d lived before?

As God met with Jeremiah, he didn’t give him all the details of how Israel’s restoration would take place. Jeremiah and Israel would need to trust God’s wisdom and vision like they’d never done before. They’d need to stick close to him, keep talking to him, and recommit their lives to him if rebuilding would ever be successful. “Call to me,” God told Jeremiah, “and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV). As the Israelites did this, like a good LEGO manual, God would give step-by-step instructions on how to move forward. One step at a time. Enough for today. Rebuilding slowly, piece by piece.

Perhaps you feel similarly bewildered as you look at the pieces of the life that death broke apart. There’s no set of instructions on how to build this life after loss, and frankly you’re too tired or sad or foggy most of the time to even try to create a back-of-the-napkin alternative plan. This is a life you didn’t anticipate, and you’re not sure where to start. You can’t even envision what God might have in mind for you next.

Today, receive both the promise of God and the encouragement of God for your own rebuilding task. God promises to restore your life in his good time, but he wants you to be a colaborer with him in the process. What’s your job? Keep talking to him and ready your heart to work when he calls you to your next task.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

A Prayer: God, you have promised that when I call upon you, you will answer me. Today, I need a hope that only you can offer. I know that you desire my flourishing, but I’m not sure how to get there. Your thoughts and plans are higher and better than any I could imagine. Infuse my heart with hope as you show me what you have for me to do today. I am open to your simple instructions. I am willing to take this one step at a time. You will make everything beautiful in its time. Amen.

An Activity for Today: Imagine that your person could bestow upon you a gift from his or her personality. What do you think you would receive? Would Mom give you her common sense? Would your cousin offer you his gift of gab? Select an aspect of your person’s personality and receive it as a gift today. Purpose to emulate this quality of your person as you go to work, interact with your family, or hang out with friends. Let your imitation of your loved one celebrate his or her life continuing on in you.

A Song to Encourage Your Heart: “If the Lord Builds the House” by Hope Darst