“Heart and Soul”
The creation of the first jigsaw puzzle in 1767 is attributed to John Spilsbury, a European mapmaker and engraver. Made of wood and depicting a map, it was designed as an educational toy for children. Now available in a multitude of formats and materials, and presenting a variety of subjects, puzzles provide entertainment for all ages. Rainy days at the cottage would not be the same without a work in progress. Depending on how seriously you take the challenge, a puzzle that is missing a piece, or is difficult to solve, can be a source of frustration, rather than joy. And many of us have had to cope with a puzzle still on a table needed for other purposes or waiting for a person who says “Just one more piece!”.
So what happens if we view our lives as an intricate puzzle? If we take a ‘selfie’ what is revealed? Is everything one colour, thousands of little blue fragments which could be sky or sea or perhaps it is mostly grey? There is no picture to refer to, no box top showing the scene in its fullness. Our Lord keeps that image close to His heart. Are there significant pieces missing? Have you tried to put some together that don’t fit and you’ve forced them into place? Have some pieces been damaged and need repair? Have some been lost, under the rug, hidden behind the couch? Have you been cavalier and simply tossed some away?
Life may well sometimes feel like a jumble of pieces that don’t seem to fit together into something picturesque. We could say blithely that “Jesus is the missing piece” but many of us are already devout disciples of Christ who love Jesus and yet…
Rather than a mass produced toy, we are individuals: “You are God’s work of art, created in Jesus the Christ”. (Hymn # 39, Common Praise.) The challenge is to claim the truth that we are God’s beloved and to trust that God will take all of the pieces of our life’s puzzle and connect them into a beautiful finished product. And to give thanks that this creative process is already at work!