The sky was beautiful and clear. The ocean gently nudged large rocks and, if I closed my eyes, I could almost hear seagulls in the distance.
It was exactly where I wanted to be, so I chose the box with the lighthouse pictured across the top and dumped the contents. I sighed as the pieces scattered across my kitchen table, a mess of blurry color. I didn’t realize how small they would be, how much extra effort it was going to take to piece this puzzle together.
But I knew that the piles of pieces would all fit together. I knew those confusing bits of colored cardboard were going to eventually result in a bigger picture. The box promised a purpose to each piece, a place for each fragment.
*****
I turned twenty-six last month. Those who know me well have kindly checked on me because they have correctly assumed I would have feelings about it.
You see, I have piles and piles of colored pieces and I’m trying to put them together. I’m trying to position them in a way that gives me a beautiful picture, a beautiful life.
There are a few sections I’ve been working on for years, growing frustrated as piece after piece refuses to play nice with the other fragments. There are a few corners I can’t even touch because I don’t have the right pieces figured out yet. And I’ll admit that I get discouraged when I look at my life, at my puzzle, and all I can see are piles of pieces.
*****
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever caught yourself looking at your life and growing disheartened because nothing seems to fit?
You have desires and dreams that are seemingly always out of reach. You’ve been told no, that a particular piece isn’t meant for your puzzle. If you’re like me, you’ve been told to wait — over and over and over again, your hand hovering above a section you feel desperate to complete.
Piles of pieces look like a mess, especially when it seems that’s all we’ll ever have. But we don’t have to know the bigger picture to have faith that those bits of color will come together beautifully. We may not have a box with a picture or a blueprint with a plan, but we have a God who gives purpose to each piece.
We don’t have to see the bigger picture to believe there is one. We just have to know the Maker of the bigger picture and trust His heart toward us.
How has God given purpose to your pieces? What piles of pieces are you trusting to Him right now?
Melody Sue VanHoose says
My favorite way to deal with this, to keep telling myself that God knows the end of the story and where all my pieces are going.
The hardest thing is patience to wait for His timing… but waiting on the Lord I shall do just that – he has my blueprint so I trust Him and His timing
Courtney LaShea says
Amen! Such a good perspective to have, Melody.