His life is like a ball of twine.

At first, it was well rounded, neatly compacted, controlled by his own strong will. With the passage of time, it became harder to keep the lengthening strands shaped in a well-rounded sphere.

One slight fumble and a looping line changed the shape.  Instead of stopping to straighten the dropped strand and rewinding it, he gripped the ball tighter and wound a new line over the loose strand, folding and hiding the tangle.

In a moment of lost control, he dropped the entire ball, scooped it up again, clutched it tightly to his chest, and wound clean strands across dirt and knots.

When he realized that his life was hopelessly tangled and no longer under his control, he called out, “God! Get this tangle out of my life.”

Now he cradles the spilling strands in his arms. He extends the loops of events that created the most troublesome knots and calls for God to “Take out the knots!”

When God does not respond by untangling the mess, he blames God and loses faith in God’s goodness.

He doesn’t see that the only way God can untangle the knots, is if he hands God the whole ball of twine.

Martha VanCise © 

Image Credit http://cdn5.knitfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mess.jpg