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Post-it Notes—slips of paper with partial adhesive—came about through a series of small, seemingly unconnected events.

In the early 1960s, scientists for the 3M Company, producers of Scotch Tape, were researching new adhesives. One of them, Spencer Silver, created a substance that stuck only partially, but they dismissed the invention since adhesives should be permanent. Even so, Silver shared his discovery with fellow employees, including chemist Arthur Pryor.

Then came the next incident. One Sunday morning, Pryor, who was a choir director, dropped his hymnal, and a shower of inserted paper bookmarks emerged. As Pryor thought about this scene, the remedy seemed simple: use partially sticky paper. But wasn’t that what Silver had discovered?

The third occurrence came as Fry and his associates applied Silver’s adhesive to paper and distributed it around the company. The marketing department wasn’t interested. Why would people pay extra for scrap paper? Still, many believed the product had great promise, so with further market research, the partial sticky notes were launched and became a national institution.

Joseph forgave his brothers for their cruelty that began a series of events that established him as a high Egyptian official. He realized God had used his ups and downs to preserve his people, the Jews.

We often experience the same in our work for the Lord. We look back and connect seemingly unconnected incidents to realize how they fit together to accomplish what some call a “God-thing.”  Yet when we think about it, with God’s perfect sense of design and timing, we really shouldn’t be surprised.

Think of some things you can change that will make you more likely to stick to it when things get tough.  

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)