My Piece of the Puzzle – 1
The Picture on the Box
When I was a kid I would go over to my grandmother’s house to visit. When you walked in to the house on the right was a dining room with a nice table. Funny thing is that I don’t remember every eating at that table. There was one in the kitchen that I would eat at when I was young. There was not much food on that table, but there was usually a jigsaw puzzle. She would put them together and at times I would get a chance to help. By help I mean I would walk over and sometimes pick up a piece and put it in with one guess. At that point I was told to go see my great-grandmother or go outside. Sometimes the “request” was followed by a few words I can’t repeat.
All I know is that all of those puzzles started the same way: a picture on the box. After all, if you’ve ever decided to put a puzzle together you decided by the picture. Is this too hard? Are there too many pieces to put together? Will I get tired of seeing the same amount of sky after a couple of hundred pieces? Will I even like the picture when I’m done?
I seriously may be over thinking this whole puzzle thing. I mean just shove it back in the box after a few days, right? Heck no, you start it you’ve got to finish it. At least that is what my grandmother would have told you. So if you have to finish the puzzle you better make sure you like the picture. You really better like it. Sometimes it got glued to some cardboard and hung in her house. That picture gave you a look into the future. You could see what was coming down the road. It showed you that after all the pieces were put in place something cool was waiting to be experienced.
You didn’t start a puzzle because of just one piece of the puzzle. If you liked the picture on the box you bought that puzzle and went to work. That is how life is at times. When we start to try to figure this puzzle of life out we need to look at the picture. What will my life look like if all the pieces fall into place?
In the book of Luke Jesus told the story of a man who wanted to build a tower. He said that before he begins to build the tower he needs to sit down and figure out how much it will cost and can he cover it. He said if he starts to build it and cannot finish it then he will be a joke to all the neighbors. Jesus warned those listening to think about the end and what they want to accomplish. It is the thing we have to do with our own lives. To see the picture we want to characterize our lives.
We all need to find our picture. What we want to become as we live our lives. The picture will guide us when we are not sure of the next step or piece that needs to go into our puzzle. The picture is tower that is finished and paid for. We need to realize that our picture is just that, our picture. When you are done with your puzzle what will it look like? What do you want it to be? The picture that will define your life? Spend some time exploring and finding your picture.