13 Comments to 'Dot-to-Dot the Long Way Around'
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Dot-to-Dot the Long Way Around
Posted By Carol
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Psalm 119:35 NIV
“Mommy, where is number eight? I can’t find number eight.” I glance up from my menu to see Faith working hard at a dot-to-dot with the crayons and paper she was given from the hostess at our local Chili’s. Thankful for a peaceful start to a dinner, I gladly point out the number in question. What she did next left me scratching my head.
I placed my finger on the number eight. Faith began pushing her crayon from the number seven in a circuitous route, up, down, zig and zag, until she loopty-looped around the number eight and finally brought the grass colored crayon to a halt at the eighth number.
“Faith, you are supposed to go straight from the number seven to the number eight. If you don’t, in the end you won’t have a beautiful picture. It’ll look all jumbled up.”
She answers me with a question, “Where is the number nine?” I point and watch aghast as her crayon jaunts about the paper only stopping at the number nine after dancing in as much white space as possible. “This is the way I like to do it.” I watched in amazement as we worked our way from eight to forty-six; me pointing, her loopty-looping.
“This is how a stubborn child does a dot-to-dot,” I whisper across the table to my husband. This is how a stubborn child does life, my Heavenly Father whispered to me. And suddenly it was clear. God has blatantly pointed the way. Go here. This way. And I have said, “This is the way I like to do it,” loopty-looping through life.
Now most of the time I eventually end up at the right number, but my picture looks all jumbled up. Had I followed God’s direct path, together we would have created a beautiful picture. Know what I mean?
Don’t lose heart if your picture looks a little jumbled, as well. The great thing about our God is that we get a new dot-to-dot every day. Today, I think I follow directly to the dots without any circles and twirls. How about you?
Aug 11th, 2008
That’s awesome! Didnt see that little whisper coming! Thanks for passing it along.
What a great lesson
Thanks for sharing.
Truly a great lesson for all of us…oh, how it is true…and a little child shall lead them.
This reminds me of our Sunday sermon. Lately in our household things have been crazy and maybe it’s God’s way of saying that I can’t handle the whole “picture” myself. My husband I both agreed that we have to hand over this whole messy situation over to God and allow him to handle it. Thanks for the encouragment
Funny, The Lord showed me something this morning with a similar point but a different approach. Don’t you just love how He connects the dots in our life, leading us to see the picture as beautiful as He already see’s it. That’s it. He knows how beautiful the picture is already….we’re loopty-looping. You know, I think some of our loopy’s make Him smile.
Thanks for sharing….”good stuff”.
Great analogy, I have seen a little curls in the crayon line in my life.
Yep, I’m sure my picture would look pretty loopy!
Thanks for making me stop and think about the paths I am choosing. I do spend too much of my life doing things MY way. I forget how much harder I am making it on myself when I don’t just follow His exact directions.
Blessings, sweet Carol!
lovely thought, Carol! And too true…
I like that picture. Thanks for sharing such a needed reminder. Yes, I think I will try to walk directly from dot to dot without any loopty-loops. (I may not get all the way to forty-six, but one to five is a good start.)
Yep Carol…I never had trouble connecting the dots on paper but once more you have shown me that I need to stop doing it my way, making so many loops in my life. Our poor Heavenly Father! You mean He’s created others like me!!! This is so true! I think I only went from one dot to the next dot …I can’t think of one time…maybe now but that’s cuz I’m slowing down in life and can’t run my way as well…(lol). Not many dots to connect anymore. You have once more shown me how God’s Grace has taken me from my childish ways throughout my entire life to learning how to obey Him the first DOT to the NEXT DOT. So if you examine dot 1 to 2 all the way to 51 to 52…I hope that you or more importantly HE see me trying to draw a straight line, no more loops and not making any more zig zags. I get it! Thanks! Your analogies and lessons from your children’s lives are
what draws me to want to read more from you! I love your style and your concise way of
illustrating the story and making the application to us…especially if we ASK which way and then just wander off until we show up where we should have been…ohhh Carol… I love your kids! I love the way you love them unconditionally just like our Heavenly Father.
I pray your patience and expertise as a teacher(more than it did for me) will pay off! Bless you and Faith & Colin…and your hubby love.
Isn’t it amazing how God uses a child’s dot-to-dot so that we will begin to live our lives the way He wants us to? One step at a time, by faith–not sight–coming to Him as little children–full of innocence and trust.
Thanks for the great reminder!
I found you at Tiffanie’s blog, and i’m glad I did! I’ll be back
That was a lovely post. I will never look at a dot to dot page the same way again!
Blessings, Joanne (aka Mrs. Loopity Loop)
I totally know what you mean.