I know a nine-year-old who insists she can work a jigsaw puzzle better with the pieces upside down. Sometimes, I want to do the same with the puzzle pieces of life. 

The Mess

She flips the pieces to their plain, gray underbelly to assemble them. I can only imagine the mishmash chunk of puzzle pieces she puts together. Pieces end up bent from her force-fitting technique. She leaves gaps between some pieces large enough to fit a Tic-Tac.

No one puts a puzzle together upside down. But what if every detail of our lives represents a small piece of our puzzle? We look at a piece or two and conclude they do not fit, not remembering God has a plan for us and a completely different perspective.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

~Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

From our perspective, we may find our mishmash of pieces not fitting, especially when a job promotion doesn’t come our way, the medical test results are not how we prayed, or important relationships end. We look at that single piece of our puzzle and want to flip it over. Surely, it does not fit in our puzzle at all.

The Masterpiece

Sometimes, the pieces of a jigsaw fit in a different place than we initially expected. But we know it takes every single piece to bring the intended picture together. Just like every challenge, every bad day, and every awkward situation is needed to complete us. It’s easy to get bogged down in the relentlessness of life and ignore the vibrant colors of whom we are becoming.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

~Romans 8:28 NLT

God has a plan. He wants good for all of us. We can trust Him with the big and small pieces of our lives. Save yourself the time and trouble of worrying and questioning each detail. Trust the master puzzler to put everything together for you in His way, in His time, and with the pretty side up.

Think about what pieces of your life you want to flip because they don’t seem to fit.

Heavenly Father, help me to trust You more with all the details of my life. I want to live at rest in You and accomplish all You have planned for me. Help me to walk confidently in my purpose without question. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Genre: Nonfiction

Copyright 2024: The Puzzle Pieces of Life: Cynthia Mendenhall: All Rights Reserved