Tuesday, January 02, 2018
Jigsaw puzzles and Jesus
We only do one a year but we really enjoy working Jigsaw puzzles. We did a 1000 piece one this year in a couple of days while we were iced in. It was fun and except for a corner piece one of the dogs chewed up it went very well.
And as with most things in life, I was reminded about Jesus.
So here is what I learned about Jesus from working with my wife on a jigsaw puzzle.
The picture matters. You have a guide to show you where things go and how it will look when you are finished. Jesus is the complete picture for how to live life. He shows me how I will look when he is finished with me.
And the Bible is a guide for how to put the pieces of my life together. Stories, commands, precepts. All the things in the Bible are there for a reason. Learn from it and my life will make sense.
It takes time and patience to put a puzzle together. It does not happen overnight. Even when I stay up way too late working on it. Making life work takes time and patience also. There is a reason older women teach younger women. There is a reason your spiritual leaders are elders. And why parents lead the family. God has had time to work on us.
One piece at a time. My life makes more sense when I take it one day at a time. I do one thing for Jesus. I make one right decision for him. Say one prayer. Read one chapter. Do one thing for my neighbor. Invite one person to church. Don't give in to Satan now. One thing at a time until the puzzle is finished.
The wrong piece in the wrong place never works out. No matter how much I want it too or how much I try and force it to fit, it just doesn't work in the end. There is a way my life works and Jesus helps me see that. Doing it my way never works in the long run. No matter how much I want it too. Or how badly I want it too. It only works if follow the way I was created to be.
It is better when we all work together. Some are really good at matching shapes. Others are good at seeing colors. Some see the big picture. Some are really good at finding the next piece that fits. That's what gets puzzles put together. It is how healthy churches work too. We all have different gifts and talents. It takes us all. Together.
A few pieces look a little bedraggled because they were rescued out of the dog's mouth. And one didn't make it. Kinda like life. Not always complete or always pretty. But you can see what it is. It is still beautiful. Sometimes we are little beaten up and spit out too. But we are important to the puzzle. And sometimes a piece ends up missing and the puzzle isn't quite what it could be. It wasn't a roaring lion like Satan. More of a friendly Retriever with a long tail but it did remind me to be on guard. But I don't want to be the missing piece. You don't either.
It was just a puzzle. But we did it together and it was fun. And it helped me remember some things about Jesus and life.
Maybe we ought to do one more often.
And as with most things in life, I was reminded about Jesus.
So here is what I learned about Jesus from working with my wife on a jigsaw puzzle.
The picture matters. You have a guide to show you where things go and how it will look when you are finished. Jesus is the complete picture for how to live life. He shows me how I will look when he is finished with me.
And the Bible is a guide for how to put the pieces of my life together. Stories, commands, precepts. All the things in the Bible are there for a reason. Learn from it and my life will make sense.
It takes time and patience to put a puzzle together. It does not happen overnight. Even when I stay up way too late working on it. Making life work takes time and patience also. There is a reason older women teach younger women. There is a reason your spiritual leaders are elders. And why parents lead the family. God has had time to work on us.
One piece at a time. My life makes more sense when I take it one day at a time. I do one thing for Jesus. I make one right decision for him. Say one prayer. Read one chapter. Do one thing for my neighbor. Invite one person to church. Don't give in to Satan now. One thing at a time until the puzzle is finished.
The wrong piece in the wrong place never works out. No matter how much I want it too or how much I try and force it to fit, it just doesn't work in the end. There is a way my life works and Jesus helps me see that. Doing it my way never works in the long run. No matter how much I want it too. Or how badly I want it too. It only works if follow the way I was created to be.
It is better when we all work together. Some are really good at matching shapes. Others are good at seeing colors. Some see the big picture. Some are really good at finding the next piece that fits. That's what gets puzzles put together. It is how healthy churches work too. We all have different gifts and talents. It takes us all. Together.
A few pieces look a little bedraggled because they were rescued out of the dog's mouth. And one didn't make it. Kinda like life. Not always complete or always pretty. But you can see what it is. It is still beautiful. Sometimes we are little beaten up and spit out too. But we are important to the puzzle. And sometimes a piece ends up missing and the puzzle isn't quite what it could be. It wasn't a roaring lion like Satan. More of a friendly Retriever with a long tail but it did remind me to be on guard. But I don't want to be the missing piece. You don't either.
It was just a puzzle. But we did it together and it was fun. And it helped me remember some things about Jesus and life.
Maybe we ought to do one more often.
