Fitting the Pieces Together in Life

I have visited in her home on several occasions. Turner enjoys going to her house, as well, because she is so sweet (and has some neat things for him to play with while we visit). She is a widow, and struggles at times to get around, but always has a cheerful attitude and enjoys the company and conversation.

Each time I’m over for a visit, there is a small card table set up in her living room with a chair pulled up close. On top of the table is her current project: yet another jigsaw puzzle.

She loves the puzzles, and works on them a few minutes each day until she is done. She has worked dozens of them in recent years, and most of the ones I have seen are at least 500 pieces, and some quite a lot more. She creates landscapes, famous works of art, and other designs when everything is put together. What was once a messy pile of random pieces becomes a complete picture through work, patience, and determination.

The concept of a jigsaw puzzle is commonly used to describe our lives, as we do not see everything in the moment, and there is always much more to figure out. Different folks give varying types of advice to guide us in that constant search. Some suggest that we always think positively and drive toward our large goals. Others suggest that we “find ourselves” and “seek inner peace” and that will show us what life is all about.

Paul the apostle has a different answer, and it’s found in a passage you probably know quite well.

As he wrote to the young preacher Timothy, Paul gave this great description of the Bible:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

How does that show us how to put our life’s puzzle together? It’s all found in the word “competent.” Some translations use words like “complete” or “perfect,” and that probably gets more to the idea of the original Greek term.

You see, the word can also be translated “fitted.”

What is Paul’s answer for how to figure out the puzzle of life? Get into the Scriptures.

It is there that I can see God’s plan for mankind as a whole, and for me in particular. No, the Bible may not tell me specifically who to marry or where to go to school. It may not specifically say if we should adopt a child or give to “this” particular ministry. It won’t say what degree to study for or what neighborhood to live in.

But it will tell me that God has a plan for my life and for my soul, and it will help me know if what I am deciding is “fitting” with that puzzle.

There are far more than 500 pieces to put together throughout our lifetime, and we often do not see the full picture until this life is nearly done. But if we have lived the way God has both desired and demanded, the final picture will be beautiful and clear. It will be a portrait of Christ Himself, shining through our puzzle of a life.

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Photo credit: Liza Daly on Creative Commons

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