Puzzled

I come from a long line of women who love the challenge of putting puzzles together. My grandma LOVES the challenge of a puzzle.  My mom and my sister also enjoy putting together puzzles.
(Fun Fact: My sister even whistles while she puts a puzzle together.)

Somehow, this puzzle gene has skipped me.  I have never had the patience for it. 

They can do this for hours....HOURS! Not me, I say, pass me something less quiet, a bag of chips and something with an "easy button!"

I hate challenges and waiting.

A few days ago, my daughter was putting together a puzzle and  as I was desperately trying to stay in the moment with her and focus on finding the piece that had Doc McStuffin's ponytail-I had a life revelation!

Maybe life is kind of like a puzzle?

I can remember the summer before I moved away for college, thinking about who I wanted to become. It was a fresh start for me, I wasn't carrying around anyone else's expectations or misconceptions of me anymore! Nobody knew this small town girl!   Nobody knew who my parents were, or  who my grandparents were. Nobody on that Indiana campus knew what I did in High School or who I went to Prom with.

In fact, I am pretty sure that they could have cared less.

Nobody had expectations for me.

At the age of 19, I had a golden opportunity to recreate myself. Up until then, my parents had helped me put those big life pieces of my life's puzzle in place.

The new sense of freedom was overwhelming.  My parents were no longer watching over me and expecting me back home at a decent hour.  Teachers did not hold me accountable for going to class or doing my homework and it was now my responsibility to make major life decisions for myself.

It was my turn to put the pieces of my life together all by myself.

Part of me loved the independence!  The other part of me was paralyzed and I had no idea where to begin.

Just like starting a puzzle, It's hard to know where to begin!

It wasn't that I was scared, it was that the weight of each decision I made was going to be a pivotal piece of the  "Adult Leslie Size"  puzzle that  I was trying to put together. It felt like each move had a specific place and shape.

The lessons I have learned have shaped me.

The lessons continue to shape me.

Something that I hope I always keep in mind is that this puzzle isn't finished. God created the puzzle, then handed us all the pieces to go through life putting them in just the right place.

Just like a puzzle, some shapes are easy to place and others are difficult.

We can't give up because it gets too hard or too tricky, but instead, we can ask for help!  Help from those around us who love us, we can pray and trust that we are not alone-that God is never surprised by our difficulties in finding where each piece of the puzzle fits.  Why?  Because God knows what the end picture looks like.


That's the beauty of the puzzle.

Puzzles are less difficult when done TOGETHER!

We teach the kids that DETERMINATION is deciding it is worth it to finish what you started.

God gave us this great puzzle called life and at the end of it, hopefully we stand back and say, "It's done! .....and it was worth it!"

Each shape represents our victories and our defeats-but in the end the bigger picture will be clear.

Life is not about knowing all the answers, but rather, its about the discovery of the right fit for each piece of the puzzle. 

We are not alone. 

Deep Thought Question:
At the end of your life, what will your life's picture reveal? What are some of the pieces of your puzzle that are already in place?  I wonder what pieces are still waiting to fit?