A Puzzle & A Prayer
As I run my hand through 750 pieces, I find my eyes bouncing between the grand photo on the box and the scrambled pieces on the table. My puzzle-solving strategy usually starts with finding the edge pieces first. I tenderly sort out the edges from the insides, putting together the outside as I work. The inside pieces end up back in the box until I am ready to deal with the larger picture. Once the edges are done, I sort through the box and try to find a cohesive image that stands out compared to the rest. I put that to put together and work the rest of the puzzle from there.
I never used to like puzzles. I felt like it was an activity that was too long for me to do and I often ended up more frustrated than when I first sat down. It wasn’t until I went on a silence and solitude retreat that I discovered the value of the activity… I needed some form of activity that would slow my thoughts and heart.
After that retreat, I went from 300 pieces to the 500s to my current collection of 750s. This newfound hobby has become a way for me to process the things happening in this season of life and the things yet to come. Putting together puzzles forces me to look at the larger picture while still holding pieces of it. I can be assured that the pieces I need are somewhere in the pile; they will surface as I work through them piece by piece. Puzzles take time to put together, sometimes hours and sometimes weeks. The longest puzzle I have done took well over a month with the help of a dear friend.
Not all puzzles have the same image, the same cut, or the same shape/size. God’s plan for my life is one that is cut, shaped, and patterned unique to me; there is no other person whose life in the scheme of eternity will be like mine. In this present moment, only part of the picture is present. Past seasons are clear images/boundaries but only segments of the whole picture. God holds the full picture of my life. I sometimes struggle for control over how those pieces fit together. I often want those pieces to fit together right now. It’s only when I surrender my control of the timing and trust His process that the pieces start to fit together.
In this process, I am learning to surrender my everything, piece by piece, so that I and others may know His peace.
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Holy Spirit, help me to discern what to do with these pieces that I presently hold in my hands. Thank you for what You have given me; give me wisdom on what to do with what you have gifted to me. Help me to see things like You do. Teach me to trust you so that I may live a life of peace with You and with others, even when it does not make sense. Thank you for this life that you are building for your Kingdom.
