Puzzling the Future

We have just returned from a 2-week family vacation.  It was a glorious time filled with beautiful beach, waves, pool time, food, arguments, apologies, and ice cream happy hour...you know, FAMILY. And family in quarantine is certainly a different dynamic!  

One of our vacation traditions is the challenge of a 1000-piece puzzle.  It's always fun and entertaining during those rain showers.  Our puzzle each year is a bit different because the picture on the box of the puzzle is NOT the puzzle you are constructing.  The picture on the puzzle box is a precursor to your puzzle.  In other words, you must use your imagination to construct the new scene. I think these are so much fun but not everyone in my family shared my opinion. (The puzzle is a WASGIJ for those of you interested). 

"Oh my gosh, Mom, next time buy a puzzle that we can SEE what it's supposed to look like"

"I wish we had a picture to go by, we'll never finish this!"

"If we had a picture to follow, we'd know whether these pieces are the sky or a blue wall.  I don't know if these go up or down."

"How do you consider this fun...it's so frustrating.  I don't even know how to begin."

Well, I'll have you know that we indeed DID finish the puzzle, 2 days before vacation ended!!  As the final pieces were going in our whole family was crowded around the puzzle, tapping in the final pieces. Our 4-year grandson put in the final piece.  Which was met with a giant YAHOO of joy!!  We all stepped back to look at the final scene.  We were all amazed it was finally done!  We were surprised at what the final design showed and joyful that we had persevered to complete it.  Finally, we saw the completed design.

I' was reminded of our puzzle-project after I heard a Rick Warren podcast, in which he was talking about the future and how God doesn't let on too much about what's ahead.  Even though my personal experience of God is that He is the God of faithfulness, trustworthiness and love, I hear myself moan about not knowing our future, much like my children moaned about not knowing how the puzzle was supposed to look.

I impatiently, symbolically stomp my foot and wonder when God will reveal our future days. How will Covid resolve, what will the next election reveal, what are the next steps for my family, my city, my state.  I seem to live as though I need a picture to follow in order for me to feel in control.  As though that would make things better!!  Actually, I am very glad I didn't see this current 'life puzzle' on a box top.

And furthermore, in retrospect of my life, I can't think of any joy or sorrow that I would have preferred seen coming my way!  It's the surprise of life that creates living.  One lesson in our spiritual journeys is found in 'today' and everyday.  Life is rich and meaningful living one day at a time.  For me, this means living the best life I can today, my best self, my best love, my best forgiveness, my best giving to those in need.  I don't need or want a pre-determined, cookie-cutter, box-top life.  My desire is for the full life God intended when he created me.  I trust the Creator to frame up my life.  And I know that he'll be faithful to fill in the picture...thus far, the picture He has created is more than I could have ever imagined.

These days call us to stress and conflict.  Let's choose a better way.  With God's help, let's find our best selves in this puzzle.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-26, 33-34