Puzzle Pieces for His Glory

Jigsaw puzzles are incredibly addicting to me.  I love a good challenge, and once I sit down to work on a puzzle I have a hard time peeling myself away from it.  Since I like to feel as if I'm being productive, even when putting together a puzzle, I often listen to an audiobook or something school-related while working with my hands.  However, I often find working on puzzles to be a very reflective time.   A time to slow down and process whatever is in my mind, which got me thinking how very much alike our lives, God's plan, and jigsaw puzzles are.  

Looking at a box of puzzle pieces, it's hard to believe that something beautiful can be made out of them, but sure enough, there is always a rewarding image upon completion.  I prefer the puzzles with at least 1000 pieces - a lot of pieces!  Taking the lid off of the box, there are so. many. pieces. just lying there waiting to be put in their rightful spot.  The sheer number is overwhelming to think about.  Thinking of our lives, there are so many pieces to be put in place.  So many thoughts, dreams, relationships, and a million other components.  Yet we have a Father who lovingly takes every puzzle piece of our lives, expertly putting them together to make something beautiful in the end.  Some pieces are oddly shaped, some may even be broken, yet they are still just as much a part of the finished product as the others.  I often struggle with deciphering where a puzzle piece goes.  I twist it, turn it, hold it up to the light, give up, and throw the piece back in the box when I can't find where it goes.  But God never has this problem with our lives.  He sovereignly knows where each piece will fit together perfectly in a way that will be glorifying to Him.  

Several years ago there was a doctor's office we went to that always had a jigsaw puzzle out for people to work on while they were waiting.  The catch was they never displayed the lid of the puzzle box.  This always frustrated me because I like to see the bigger picture so I can know what I'm working towards.  If each of our lives were a jigsaw puzzle being put together, how we would love to see the “lid” to see what it would look like when finished.  The problem is, if we knew right now what our puzzle would look like, there would be no reason for trust.  If I could see the masterpiece, I would have no need to trust that God knows what He is doing with all the puzzle pieces of my life in His hands.  Praise the Lord that He is putting together a masterpiece with His skillful hands.  Though we cannot see the end result, we can rest in the confidence that He is working everything for our good and His pleasure.  Like King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:11, we can earnestly believe that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”