Fitting the Pieces Together

The other day my four-year-old grandson and I put a puzzle together. First, we put the edges together to find the border of the picture and then I showed him how to match the colors, patterns, and shapes to find the right piece to link with another. He told me he could do it all by himself and set out on his mission. He found two pieces with the same colors and tried to connect them; he soon became frustrated because the pieces wouldn’t connect. I let him continue for a while, and then asked him if he would like my help. At this point he agreed and I showed him how to look for more possibilities by regrouping and maneuvering a piece around. 

Later that evening I realized how much my life resembled a jumbo jig saw puzzle created by God at birth. Like my grandson, I’ve spent too much time focused on my ability to force a piece to fit at all cost. My self-focused decisions and stubbornness resulted in pain and strife. My struggle eventually led me to ask for God’s help. I began a personal relationship with Christ and grew.

The maturity of my walk with Christ has helped me realize only God has all the pieces to complete masterpiece painting He created me to be. The more I strive to find out who Christ is and who I am in Christ, the more I begin to see how I fit into God’s masterpiece. Every experience of my life has taught me something about God, myself, and others. As I rely on Christ’s wisdom, I am released to explore, change, and rearrange the pieces until they connect. Even if the piece was a difficult experience, I didn’t feel the frustration and burden I had when I tried to do everything on my own. My life’s puzzle placement skills are becoming more proficient as I surrender them ALL to Christ. I found my edges, gifts, and the direction God has equipped and entrusted me with to serve Him and others.  The more pieces that connect through trusting God, the more I see God’s colors of love, grace, and mercy in every piece of me even when I didn’t look for Him, see Him, or embrace Him. 

One day my life’s masterpiece puzzle will finally be complete when I stand before Him in glory. Only then will I see the wonder and complete beauty He created in me.  

Psalm 18:20
God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I'm alert to God's ways; I don't take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Won’t it be wonderful when we can see the entire picture of God’s masterpiece?