Are You "Puzzled?"

Growing up I really liked doing puzzles. There was just something about getting a new puzzle and knowing that if you put it together just right, it would be a beautiful picture and look just like the picture on the box! There was also the challenge involved in finding the right pieces. Sometimes you really had to look hard for them because the pieces looked so much alike. It helped if you could find the pieces that had the same color. I would always start with the corner and edge pieces so I could build the framework for the picture. Piece by piece the picture came together. You simply cannot rush putting a puzzle together. It takes patience and quiet thought. But, oh the satisfaction when it was finished!

It occurred to me the other day that we are a lot like puzzles. We make our plans for life much like putting a puzzle together. We know what we want and make a plan to get there. It's kind of like we're building the framework of our lives with the corners and edge pieces. We go to school, get a job, get married, have a family, etc. It's when "life happens" that we have a hard time figuring out what to do. Sometimes we try to fix things by looking for just the right answer or puzzle piece. Sometimes we try to fix things with something that looks like it will help, or fit, but it's actually is just a short term solution. That's like when we find a piece for the puzzle that looks like it will fit, but when we try it, we see that the picture doesn't make sense.

When I'm in the midst of trying to find the right piece or make the pieces fit in my life, it helps me to remember that there's someone who already knows what my "picture" will look like. He knows the picture on the box because He's the one who created my puzzle. In Ephesians 2:10, it says "For we are God's masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

You see, he planned my puzzle picture long before I was born. He knows all the pieces and how they will fit. I don't need to worry about finding the right pieces at the right time and I don't need to feel pressured to make the pieces fit. I just need to trust the Puzzle Planner and have patience. My picture isn't finished yet. But when it's done, I'm sure it will be beautiful!