Recently I was online looking at a very beautiful website featuring Amish quilts. The intricacy and placement of each piece of fabric along with the fine stitching was truly incredible to see. The colors and flow of each design showed such an achievement of the beauty of the design that each quilt was its own piece of art, suitable for framing.

On the same site, among other wonderful country décor items, they sell jewelry made from broken pieces of china. It is selected from the broken portions, repaired from its damaged state by smoothing the edges, and then placed into settings for brooches, earrings, or necklaces. The finished jewelry is really lovely and unusual. One brooch that really caught my eye was a bit of china that had a gorgeous purple rose—my favorite.

This scripture in Samuel talks about pieces—all of the pieces of our lives. You know, I have been married about three months now and it just keeps getting better. Actually, I have almost felt afraid of being so happy because something might happen. You know the Christian phrase we all grow up with, "In this world, ye shall have tribulation?" Boy if I haven’t heard that one a thousand times.

Yet I came to God a couple of years ago with the shattered parts of my life and just gave up. I turned in my letter of resignation and told Him that I was sick of trying to manage everything by myself. I was quitting the management team, and it was time for Him to be the CEO. I didn’t even want to sit on the Board of Directors anymore. But gee, could I take notes?

So He changed me. The more I was willing for those changes to happen, the more His will and love and cleansing flowed through me, and the better the fresh start He gave me. When I gave up controlling (trying!) everything and everyone around me, life was so extraordinarily different. As He brought teaching and wisdom through His Word and as I was willing to hear it and act on it, my heart changed and so did my entire life.

Suddenly it was easier to notice what He was doing—and respond. It was simpler to hear His Voice, and obey. Simply assuming He was a cash register God who would open the drawer and give out tens or twenties or even hundreds (in the big emergencies) was no longer even a thought to me. There was no assuming I would have the next meal, or dollar or even breath. There was rejoicing in each provision from the beauty of the clouds in the sky to the crinkle of a baby’s nose when they smiled at me.

Praying, spending time listening, sharing my heart with Him, fellowshipping with Him, all of this became a way of life. Daily, even momentarily, it was a communion, much as it were if I turned to someone sitting next to me and sharing a thought that had just popped into my mind. This is how it is with Jesus and me, I just turn and share with Him and listen. That is how I know when to turn left or right, pray, touch, give, or stop.

At night, when my husband and I have devotions and review the day, we talk about the ways He works. We dream about the future, pray for our loved ones, and enjoy our time with Him and with each other. It is nearly impossible to cover all of the day’s blessings, from the safe commutes, to the accomplished work, to the ministry contacts that are opened to us; but we time to remember and are thankful.

When I chose to give up my own ways, my own opinions of how I thought the world should be run and what everyone else should do, God put me back together the way He wanted. I feel like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, all put back together! Now I am more careful to watch what I say, what I do, and even how I think. Do I judge? Do I give my opinion? Do I assume? Do I jump to conclusions? Does my body language, tone of voice, use of words, convey something that Jesus doesn’t want it to? How would He respond right now? How would His heart cause Him to act toward this person in front of me? Compassionately? Angrily? So now, will I allow His heart to flow through me?

It feels as though I have wasted my life to this point because even though I have loved Him, I have tried to do most everything the way I wanted to, the way I thought it should be done, so it would turn out the way I thought best not just for myself, but for those around me. But as I have opened the book of my heart and shown Him openly what I know deep inside He has already seen, He has changed my life. He has changed the entire structure, the foundation of it, the texture and color and feel of it. The music is different, the fragrances, the laughter, the hope—yes, that’s it, the hope for a future in Him. The hope of serving Him in the ways He desires—not trying to manhandle everything and wrestle it into place the way I want—that hope is what has been rewritten on my heart.

Not too long ago, someone told me that there is a book in me. He’s right, but not in the way he thought. When I opened this tattered, shabby book of my life to God, He did the proofing, editing, and rewriting. By the time I meet Him face-to-face, I’d venture that the book of my life will be a smashing bestseller.

Is it time to start allowing Him to rewrite the book of your life?

Copyright 2005 by Desiree L.M Pheister

Desirée L.M. Pheister is a member of Eastside Foursquare Church. She is a newlywed, mother of three (a teenager still at home), a grandmother, and an administrative assistant at a medical research facility. You may reach her at: marrion8955@yahoo.com