Life as a pie chart

Someone told me recently about a "life exercise" in which one compiles all the stuff that makes up your life, and puts it in a pie chart.  So let's say for me, something like this.

The idea is to visually demonstrate to myself that, in the event I lose one of these things, then I can see that, hey life is not so bad, that wasn't such a big deal.  Say for example, if I suffered a blown ACL, and couldn't run or play basketball any more, like this:

At first blush - I'd say, hey, I still have my wife, children, parents, career, church life - so, chin up, things are not so bad.  Pretty good life visualisation tool to bring some optimism back into play!

...

But what if, a month later, something happens at work, and boom, career gets sidetracked, I lose my job, or get put in cold storage somewhere, like this:

Oops, now only half my life is left!  With only half of life's meaning left to me, what do I do?

And what if something happens to my kids - let's say they grow up (which is pretty inevitable you know), and then go overseas and live.  Then what?  Oh no, my pie is getting smaller and smaller!

Hmm.  Looks like this life pie chart idea is not quite the answer.  Because it essentially tells me, if I lose enough things, life isn't worth living any more.  Which seems to defeat the whole purpose of this life visualisation tool to begin with!

Actually, the pie chart approach tells me something even more depressing.  If I even lose one thing, then my life is somehow less than complete.

Argh.

But, well, no! What life should really look like is this:

Everything I have is just part of a perpetually whole life that God has given me.  Within that life, there are some bubbles - some bigger, some smaller.

Sometimes, one of those bubbles, let's say career, pops, like this:

But my life is really just as full as it was before - it just has one less little bubble in it, and life goes on, just a little re-arranged, like this:

Even though I now have one less bubble, my life is still as full. 

In fact, all the bubbles can burst.  To be honest, one day they will.  I'll stop working, my children will grow up, my exercise regime will shrink dramatically... like this:

But my life will still be just as full.  HOW CAN THAT BE?!

Well to be fair, it's only true if the big yellow circle is operative.  Like this:

So the question is, what are our lives like?  Is it a pie chart, where our lives get smaller every time something is taken away?  Or is it something far more enduring and resilient?  A life in which God is always more than enough?

Because if it's the latter, then believe me, God's intent is not for us to have just one big empty circle.  He has plans that we can't even conceive in our own little pie charts, that will overflow into and impact other people's lives.  And for every bubble that pops, He'll fill another one or two or three in people and places and activities that we didn't even expect - it'll look like this!

All we need is to say - God, I don't want a shrinking pie chart of a life.  I want a complete, overflowing, enduring life in You!

You know where to find me if you want to know more :)

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy;  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

For I know the plans I have for you - plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:11-14