Putting the Pieces Together

While my oldest daughter was away at camp last week, my youngest daughter wanted me to play with her. She decided she wanted to put a puzzle together. So we brought out a new puzzle of a very colorful and old fashioned farmers' market and set to work.

First, we sifted through all the pieces and removed the edges. Once we put the edges together, we starting filling in from the sides. We also separated sections by color or patterns as we saw matching areas. My sons would join in now and again. My oldest daughter did, too, once she returned from camp.

It's a good thing we had the box with the completed picture to look at. There were times when we'd take a funny looking piece and compare it with the picture to find out exactly where it belonged. We probably looked at the box a hundred times before it was all done.

Our life in many ways is like a puzzle being put together without the box. We don't know the outcome; we only know the experiences day by day which are meant to mold and shape us into the person God wants us to become. He knows the complete picture; we only get glimpses as the pieces are being put together bit by bit until it starts making more sense. It would be nice if God would give us the box sometimes, but perhaps we'd get too lazy or too cocky and we'd loose our need to depend on God to carry us through until the end.

Thankfully, we can trust the Lord with our lives if we surrender ourselves to Him. The pieces will fit perfectly if we allow Him to lead, to encourage, and to strengthen. Let God direct your life. You won't be disappointed with the completed picture.