Puzzled?

Photo by Piero 2005

As the King of Siam sang to governess Anna in the musical, “The King and I,” sometimes life is a puzzlement!

 

Even as born-again Christians (John 3:3-8) who have been saved by our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we often struggle to make sense of the few puzzle pieces God allows us to see in His grand mural of life. Coronavirus, causing more US deaths thus far than the Vietnam War; worldwide famine; unprecedented restrictions on personal activities, church attendance, work and school; global financial crisis – how can any of this be justified in a world governed by our loving God? 

 

One of the items in great demand during this pandemic is jigsaw puzzles, as many find it therapeutic to work with their hands when they are in isolation. We can't control the pandemic, but fitting puzzle pieces together may be reassuring, supporting the illusion that we can control at least some aspect of our lives. I believe that's why so many have cleaned out and reorganized their closets and garages during this time of sheltering in place! Even the waiting rooms in our Iocal cancer center recently had tables filled with jigsaw puzzles in various stages of completion, although that may have changed now that more rigorous sanitizing measures are in place. 

 

It reminds me of the complex jigsaw puzzles my mother, grandmother and I used to work on when I was a child. Upon tearing open the box, we thought we faced an impossible challenge, as the sea of tiny pieces seemed to have no relationship to one another. 

 

Yet we know that with God there are no unrelated incidents nor coincidences. He has a specific plan for each of His children (Jeremiah 29:11) that He designed from before the beginning of time (Psalm 139:16; Ephesians 1:5,11) , and He is working all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). 

 

As we embarked on the puzzle construction, we scrambled to find the corner pieces, each of which set the structure for two borders of the puzzle. Jesus Christ is our Cornerstone, the firm Foundation Who gives structure, purpose and meaning to our life (Isaiah 28:16). 

 

Next we looked for the straight-edged pieces, for these would form the boundaries that determined the size and shape of the completed puzzle. It was easier finding good fits for these than for irregularly shaped pieces, because the straight edges had to align together. Similarly, God’s law sets boundaries for our life that ensure we will live out the days He intended for us, and that things will go well for us in accordance with His perfect plan (Deuteronomy 5:16. Ephesians 6:2; Matthew 22:36-40).

 

Even once the boundaries were in place, assembling the remaining pieces would be a daunting challenge were it not for the box lid showing the image of the completed puzzle! This showed us whether it was a landscape, with structures such as a red barn indicating where most of the red pieces would go, or a pond where the pieces with wavy blue-green patterns would find their home. 

 

God’s Word is like the box lid, showing us what a life pleasing to God looks like, and how we should order and place our worship, service, human relationships, work and rest within each day He so graciously gives us (Proverbs 3:5-6). We ignore it at our peril, finding out all too late that we have wasted time, effort and resources on trying to cram fragments of our life into areas where they don’t belong (Proverbs 16:9), if we fail to put God first (Colossians 1:18). 

 

We may try to fit ourselves into a relationship, career or opportunity that seems right to us, but if God did not ordain it, the connection will be no better than trying to jam together two puzzle pieces not designed to align with one another (2 Corinthians 6:14). Even worse, the wrong fit will block both pieces from finding their true bond. 

 

Sometimes as we sorted through the remaining puzzle pieces we identified an unusual piece, perhaps bearing a facial feature like the ear of a girl dabbling her toes in the pond. The uniqueness of this detail meant that there was only one place it would fit, and we had a clear sense of direction in placing it there. 

 

Sometimes God sends us an unmistakable sign, whether through His Word (Psalm 119:105), a sermon, a dream (Genesis 31:11; 37:5), Godly counsel (Proverbs 27:17), or His handiwork in nature (Psalm 19:1). If we listen to His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12), we can have the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), knowing that He has directed us in accordance with His perfect will. 

 

But what about those days when it seems like we have to work on the puzzle from the reverse side, where everything looks the same, with no clues? Or what about times when our life seems like one of those demonic puzzles that is painted solid red? Even in these trials when life seems to make no sense at all (1 Peter 4:12-14), we can rely on our Cornerstone and His boundaries to order our understanding. He is not the Author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). 

 

We completed many such puzzles when I was a young girl, sliding them onto poster-size cardboard and stacking them under the bed. But the puzzle of my life, with the beautiful picture God intended for my life since before the beginning of time, may never be completed, whether Jesus calls me home tomorrow (James 4:14) or blesses me with many more years on earth (Psalm 90:10). Christ Himself finished the work His Father gave Him to do (John 17:4; Hebrews 4:3), but I believe that most if not all of us will fall short of that goal. 

 

Whether working on jigsaw puzzles or living the life God appointed to us, it does seem to fall into place more clearly the further we go. We see connections that previously eluded us, and we can build on the work we have done under His direction, on the truths He has revealed through His Holy Spirit, and especially on Jesus Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 3:10).   

 

In the meantime, may we redeem the time for His purposes (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5), order our days by following His Word, and trust that the Master Designer has a perfect plan even when all we see is disjointed fragments of the puzzle!

 

 

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Updated and reposted from the archives

Everything is Beautiful

Photo by r Նարդուհի Էքիզեան-Մարկոսեան 2019

One of my favorite songs in the musical “A Chorus Line” is called “Everything Is Beautiful at the Ballet.” In this song, one of the dancers explains how going to see the ballet as a child allowed her to escape from hard times and abusive situations at home into a fantasy world of sugar-plum fairies where the heroine always found her Prince Charming. Dancing then became her life’s passion and dream, so that she could share this beauty with others. 

I was blessed to first discover the beauty and creative outlet of dancing as a young child, and to continue expressing myself through this unique art form, in which the dancer herself is the artistic instrument. One of the many joys of dancing is that it demands complete focus, especially Theatre Arts partnership dancing with overhead lifts that my husband and I enjoy, for to lose focus could mean serious injury for one or both of us. 

And while we’re concentrating on perfecting a particular lift, there is no mental, emotional or physical energy to waste on worrying about coronavirus or anything else that might be troubling us. With God’s empowerment, the end result (although never a reached destination; always a work in progress) is a fluid series of moves that reflects an emotion or idea conveyed by the lyrics, typically a Christian theme in dances that we choreograph. 

Yet the “Chorus Line” song also reminds me that the process leading to the beautiful ballet is often fraught with pain. My husband and I have at times worked through bouts of back, knee and shoulder injury; plantar fasciitis; and recovery from a heart condition or pneumonia. Each of these stressors required unique adaptations of our bodies and training to accommodate the movements we could perform without further injuring ourselves, but what we learned in the process often improved our dancing. 

Even as a young ballet dancer I remember battling bruised toenails from dancing en pointe, particularly in a vigorous, athletic ballet piece demanding repeated jumping and landing on the tip of one toe. Before performances, the wardrobe mistress would pour wintergreen oil on my purple toenail to numb the pain. But once I was on stage, the adrenaline and sheer exhilaration of dancing made everything beautiful once more, and I was blissfully unaware of the throbbing until the dance was over. 

Although I was then not yet saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), I still somehow understood that suffering can have a higher purpose. This was fully epitomized In Christ’s supreme agony on the cross, required to pay the sin debt of all mankind so that sinful man could be reconciled to Holy God (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 2:16). 

He was marred beyond recognition, so that all would recoil from His frightful appearance. Yet had He not been willing to subject Himself to that ordeal, we would never experience the eternal beauty His salvation brings (Isaiah 53). 

In far lesser degrees, God allows His children to go through various trials (Romans 8:28) to strengthen their faith in and dependence on Him (Romans 5:1-5); to give us experience and compassion to help others going through similar trials (2 Corinthians 1:4-6); and to mold us into His image (Philippians 3:10). My daily prayer is that God is using the coronavirus pandemic to accomplish these ends in His children, as well as to lead the unsaved to trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

The media focus on all that is ugly about the coronavirus pandemic, and there is plenty of that – sickness, death, unemployment, isolation, global financial collapse. Health care workers and others on the front lines describe their new normal as a “war zone” or “nightmare” in which they battle constantly to save lives while endangering their own. 

Yet there is an unexpected beauty in many of the consequences of the pandemic. Many in isolation now have more time to get alone with God, pray, study His Word, and to engage in quality time with family with whom they are sheltering in place. Many are restoring their homes and dinner tables to living artworks where they can share God’s blessings with their family and thank Him for His abundant love, mercy and grace. 

Although some try to profit financially or politically from the widespread misery, others step up to the challenge, helping those in need by donating money and supplies, praying, and sending messages of encouragement and hope. Businesses and churches have shut down, but so have drug cartels and gang wars in hard-hit cities. 

Another prayer for these perilous times is that we would all gain a new-found appreciation for the many God-given blessings we so often take for granted, including the privilege of congregating together to hear God’s Word, to worship Him, and to uplift one another (Hebrews 10:25). 

The plague and pestilence we now face, as well as global reports of famine, storms, wars, rumors of wars, and false prophets all remind us that we are in the End Times (Matthew 24). No man knows the day or the hour that the Lord shall return to Rapture His children to ultimate and eternal beauty, joy, and peace (1 Corinthians 15:51-54), but we know that it is one day closer today than it was yesterday (Matthew 24:36). 

As the apostle Paul wrote under Holy Spirit inspiration, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; and perplexed, but not in despair, for Christ has transformed our fate from the curse of sin and death to eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:8-18). Praise the Lord, He has made everything beautiful in its time! (Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

Through faith in Him, we may be sorrowful in this ugly world, but He will give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He will plant us as trees of His righteousness, to His glory!  (Isaiah 61:3)

© 2020 Laurie Collett