A Puzzle...

A Puzzle...12-9-25

My grandson is a puzzle loving boy. He has just begun the first few days of a two week grounding. My husband and I had already decided there had been way too much screen time in his life and this was good way to begin his new life with the Grands. Now mind you, our grandchild is more than happy to do anything, but requires someone to do it with. He is an only child and has never liked to be by himself, play alone, or find ways to entertain himself as we used to. He even likes to sit near us when we are watching tv. He likes contact and he loves companionship. Being an only child has been truly hard for him as his personality does not lend to this life. In God's infinite wisdom, there is a plan behind our grandson being an only child, and I will let the Lord lead in that area.

We were quite busy this weekend. He didn't get to stay with us until Sunday night. I picked him up about 8:00 p.m. from his parents' home. He immediately brought his puzzles. That has been something he enjoys doing, but we don't do as much. By the time we got home and settled, it was close to 9:00. He opened the box and began the puzzle. Now, his mind works differently than any person I have ever known when it comes to puzzles. He will select a piece from the box, look intently at the picture, and then tell you where the piece he is holding will go. He will put the outside border together, and then pick one piece at a time out of the box and put it in the place where it goes. I would try piece after piece, place pieces around the puzzle, and he would take the piece and tell me why it wouldn't go there as I was trying to place the piece. My husband sat in contemplative silence watching him.

The way my grandson places puzzle pieces reminds me of how God works within our lives. We have pieces of our lives that are present, but all jumbled up. These pieces might be family members, careers, talents, friends, emotions, hobbies, and even our own bodies. We are all puzzle pieces that need putting together. Everything in our lives is a piece that only the master puzzler knows how these fit. He picks each piece, knows where it will fit in our lives, and places it into the correct position one by one, as the time is right. Only when it is time for that piece to go into the designated spot, will he place the piece. We don't know why things happen the way they do or the way things fit in our lives the way it does. But God does. His puzzle is the most beautiful masterpiece, our lives for His glory. One piece at a time, only one place each piece will fit, and only in the appointed time. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:14