Life is like a puzzle with the exception we didn’t get all the pieces handed to us in a pretty package; we have a lot of pieces to pick from.
God’s death provided freedom of choice and in the end His children have victory, we’ve won.
At times, puzzle pieces can feel difficult to manage, causing confusion and frustration. We wonder if a specific piece could enhance or cause a deficit.
Sometimes we move too quickly and grab a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit; we’re certain it does yet we moved so quickly, we didn’t pay attention to the minor details, such as color scheme, shapes or sizes.
Think back, when you’re younger, having a keen eye for certain things didn’t come naturally, as you got older, experience gave more insight and wisdom; you’re able to see from a distance what the outcomes could be and avoid negative distractions.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
As a child, you are learning so many skill sets ranging from verbal, physical, emotional, and social, including spiritual being.
Keep in mind, how you move throughout these learning steps will be foundational for your adult self.
Ok, as a child, let’s focus on putting together your very first puzzle. You’ll learn to manipulate and identify various clues that help understand the purpose of each piece.
You’ll learn some pieces are so similar, yet the slightest shape can misdirect your decision; middle pieces will never fit on the outside and vice versa.
Let’s go a step further; even the outer pieces can be confusing since there are two types, 4 corners and various inner outer pieces. None of the 4 corner pieces will ever fit into the center outer pieces no matter how much the color scheme matches.
Now as an adult, there are pieces of our lives that we struggle with, not knowing how to fit the pieces together since we don’t understand their purpose.
Are they bordering pieces that support the inside of our life picture?
Remember, I mentioned as a child, you are learning so many skill sets ranging from verbal, physical, emotional, and social, including spiritual being.
How much of that information did you keep helping move through life as an adult; figuring out each puzzle piece, where and if they fit or do they belong to another puzzle?
There is logic behind each puzzle piece, reasons some pieces have smooth edges on one or two sides, they only fit on the edge, no matter how much you want them to fit in the middle, your picture won’t be complete until you place them in the created position.
Now the center pieces also have a specific spot. Just because they have an assigned position doesn’t prevent us from trying to place them somewhere else and many times, if we try to fit them based on color schemes or image likenesses, unless that’s their assigned spot, the picture won’t look right, feel complete or fit no matter how much we try to press it down, it’s not the right piece.
By making a piece fit, it changes the picture; it blurs our original perception because we want it to fit so badly that we start making excuses of why we altered the view, changed its purpose and final look.
We convinced ourselves it’s what we always wanted. We altar the true path God paved for us and wonder why some of our joy, peace and love is slowly diminishing.
How do we determine the shift is moving in the wrong direction?
Pay attention to the atmosphere, if it shifts toward negativity more than purpose, we are moving away from the umbrella of protection the Lord has provided.
When we get too far, then we have to prepare ourselves to deal with the consequences of our choices. It’s not always the Lord putting us through tests or punishing our decisions.
Sometimes it’s more of a “what goes up, must come down” scenario. We must take responsibility for our freedom of choices and start making better choices versus blaming God.
Sit back and think about your life puzzle pieces; are they fitting? What is causing negativity and pain?
Now think about the things that bring joy and peace. I’m not saying the amount of work should determine which category to label the two choices; focus more on your peace in Him which is your God given purpose.
Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
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