Puzzles

When I inherited my mom and dad's jigsaw puzzle collection I didn't know what I was getting myself into - a lesson about life.

Puzzles can be a fun little diversion. Jigsaw puzzles teach us that it is possible to attack a problem and emerge at its completion 100% satisfied. Unless, of course, there are missing pieces.

Often, my wife will enter my "puzzle space," bend down, and pick up one of the pieces I had inadvertently knocked off the table.

"Here. You might need this," she'll say. What an example of Jesus!

Life is a lot like assembling a crossword puzzle.

Puzzles exist so that they can be assembed. They provide us with a sence of accomplishment after we complete them. Equally, puzzles can also provide frustration if some of the pieces are missing or if the puzzle proves too difficult. Is life any different?

We can be working on life's puzzle, all organized and going well. Then, suddenly, something's not right. A medical emergency, infertility, the death of a loved one. A piece of our "puzzle" has gone missing or we have placed one of life's pieces in the wrong spot. Enter Jesus.

Is there a puzzle that Jesus cannot solve? Is there something missing in our lives that could not be fixed by Jesus?

Jesus completes us. He guides us through life's puzzles with His Holy Spirit and His Word. He is the one who picks up the pieces off our floor and puts them back onto the table for us.

Jesus could solve ALL of life's puzzles for us with a thought or a snap of His fingers. But He doesn't. He wants us to grow and to learn.

What God teaches us today may be needed to solve some "life puzzle" in the future.

Embrace the puzzle!