Trust God to help us solve the puzzle of our lives
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding."
- Proverbs 3-5 (NIV)
My mother enjoyed putting together puzzles. The more pieces to the puzzle the bigger the challenge.
I didn't have the patience she possessed to tackle the mystery of those puzzles. However, a few times I sat to sift through the pieces to select a right one to connect it into place. I constantly looked at the picture on the box, hoping to achieve that same result.
I looked for the easiest pieces, like the ones around the edge or a baby blue sky, to ensure success.
I recently met a woman who mentioned that when her husband was in the hospital after a heart attack, the unit he was on had a waiting room for families with a table that had a puzzle on it. Anyone could sit and work the pieces into place.
As they waited for the outcome of their loved one's condition, searching for the missing pieces of the puzzle and locking them in place kept their minds occupied.
The scattered puzzle pieces mirrored the emotional turmoil they were experiencing. The ability to connect a piece into place gave them a sense of control over something, bringing hope that their situation would also start to come together.
Recently, my niece was going through some troubling times that caused her extreme levels of anxiety. I suggested she work on some puzzles.
Following my suggestion, she went to the resale shop and purchased several puzzles for very little money. When her anxiety would arise, she would spend some time working on her puzzle. Her adult daughter was so intrigued with her mother's new fascination that she often joined her.
Eventually, my niece found her puzzle time helped her anxiety. She now has a new creative outlet for eliminating some of her stress.
Our lives can feel like those puzzles, and God doesn't give us a box with a picture on it to show us the end result. And just like putting the right puzzle pieces in place can be challenging while we look at the different angles trying to make it fit, life's puzzles can also be the same.
However, I find as we sort through the pieces of our life experiences, some of the pieces start to lock into place. As we look at where we've been, we can trust God's Holy Spirit to guide us so the next piece fits just right.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. Register now for her next Writing for Fun or Profit conference in February 2020. Contact Annettee at (847) 543-8413 or Annetteebudzban@aol.com.