The Masterpiece of Our Lives

I pray that I may not ask to see the distant scene. I pray that one step may be enough for me. - 24 Hours a Day, Oct. 28

Essentially, the question here is whether or not I trust that G-d is taking care of me. If I truly believe that He is watching over me, planning out my life in the way that is best for me, even if this involves challenges and struggles, then it's enough to live in the now. I have no need to worry about the future. I don't have to anticipate what is coming next, or to stress about it. I can feel safe, no matter what, because I am like a baby in its mother's arms, not having to worry about the next meal. I do not have to ask "what's next?" but can take my time -- right here, right now, in the very step I am taking. This doesn't mean that I can't plan for the future just that I don't need to worry about it. Planning helps me to prepare that next step, but worrying trips me up before I even take it.

A good example for this concept is tapestry. On the back, it looks like a mess, with knots and clumps. But on the front, there may be a masterpiece - a magnificent picture. That's what our lives are like. To us, it often seems a mess - with stops and starts, with all sorts of knots and bungles. But to G-d, Who sees the true masterpiece of our lives, all of these little bits make up the complete picture of who and what we are meant to be, and will eventually become -- all the little parts that make up the whole. When our lives are done, and we are in our final "home" - right next to G-d, then we will be able to look back and see the whys and wherefores of our lives- the purpose and reason for all our difficult challenges and the whole picture. No longer will we question the challenges we faced, and why we had to go through them. In fact, we will be grateful for the things that made us who we were.

That is the trust, the faith -- that there is a magnificent picture and an Artist Who is designing it all. Only a fool would look at the back of the tapestry and question the purpose of all that mess. I hope that I'm not a fool. No point in worrying about the future, or wanting or needing to know it all before it happens, so as to allay my fears about it. With this faith, this trust, I can live in the now, and trust that G-d, my Higher Power, is guiding me and watching me -- one step at a time.