What do you do when a piece of life doesn’t fit the puzzle you imagined? Who do you talk to when the puzzle is sold out and you can’t find another one like it? What action do you take when a piece of the puzzle is missing from the box?
I don’t like puzzles. Putting them together takes too much time, and there’s not enough movement or action in the process to see quick results. Yet puzzles cause you to slow down, think about your choices and consider how things will fit together later.
As my younger daughter, Annie, was growing up, she enjoyed putting 1,000-piece puzzles together. She followed a step-by-step process until she finished one in a few days. Her buddy in putting these puzzles together was her grandmother. Those two would sit for hours at a time placing these weird-cut pieces together until a complete picture emerged like the one on the outside of the box.
Annie’s first step was always to take the straight-edge pieces and put them in a pile. She would then connect all the straight pieces until she had the border complete. She would then take the same-color pieces, which would bring to life one element of the puzzle, and put them together. She would do this over and over again until she had several internal components that would go together and eventually create the larger picture.
The biggest challenge she faced was connecting the colorful images together inside the frame. This was where patience and deep thinking led Annie and her grandmother to find just the right pieces.
Life is a lot like these 1,000-piece puzzles. We have many pieces to work with, in both our business and personal lives. Somedays, the pieces just seem to fit with no problem. Other days, it seems like we can never find the right pieces to connect.
How do you handle it when the puzzle is almost complete and you just can’t find the right piece to get it done, or you know that piece was left out? Do you get frustrated and angry, blowing up or getting upset with yourself or others? Do you want to call the store and tell them they sold you a puzzle without all the pieces?
There is someone who can help us find the right and special piece. It is our choice to connect with Him every day and do that. Then our puzzle will look exactly like the one on the outside of the box that He gave us even before we were given life.
Live inspired,
Jimmy
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