Puzzles are not normally a hobby, a pastime for me. Nor for my hubby. Yet during this strange time of pandemic we have rediscovered jigsaw puzzles. Mostly we have worked together on the dining room table 1000 piece puzzles.
And I know I am not the only one. Puzzles disappeared like toilet paper from the store shelves in April. I knew my sister-in-law had some but didn’t realize she had a full closet full of them. Amazing selection and man, have we been having fun piecing together puzzles.
Pondering this process of puzzles has also revealed some spiritual insights.
- Keeping the box nearby to study and recheck guides our way. Seeing the final product on the top of the box gives us clues and keeps us encouraged. Time with God and studying his word works that way too. Too often all we see is the fragments of life. God the Artist, knows the final masterpiece and how beautiful it will be.
- We often start with the outside frame to get a sense of where we are heading. Having a sense of structure gives me boundaries, makes decision making easier, and guides the whole process. I find this true in life too. But one person told me they have started some puzzles from the center depending on the whole picture of where they were going. I need to be open and flexible and sometimes God leads us onward without many frameworks – trust the process by keeping our eyes and heart on the big picture. He is in control.
- Almost every time we began a puzzle – with this framework – pieces were missing. As much as we looked and searched among the pile of unused pieces, some flat-edged bits took forever to find and be added. We had to stare for a long time to find what we were overlooking. It reminds me that we too have missing pieces and continue to grow, heal, and learn throughout our lives. Often the answer is in plain sight – we are the ones who can’t see it.
- Putting puzzles together as a family is fun. Bill and I focused, worked together, complained and whined alike and cheered with each step of progress. One night my daughter, son-in-law, and three grandkids stopped by, and soon we all were working around the table in a delightful fellowship of search and find and celebrate. Community certainly helps in puzzles and in life’s dilemmas too.
- Each piece has a unique shape and place. Every piece counts. No one piece is the whole and the whole needs each piece to reveal meaning. We select one, turn it around several directions, and see how it fits. Sometimes that move works at the first guess but most of the time we have to focus, attempt several approaches, and occasionally start over. Yep, sounds like life to me. One step, one piece at a time, and keep practicing. Eventually the mystery appears, and the work is done.
Puzzles have inspired others’ wisdom too. Here is a delightful list of puzzle lessons.
I don’t know how long we will be into puzzles. Our dining room table yearns to return to meals and a place to lay things we don’t want to put away at the time. But I have no regrets from rediscovering this distraction from the pandemic and will remember its lessons.
Have you been into puzzles? What have puzzles taught you?
Puzzles were a constant companion during the long, dark winter.
Piece by piece, patience, surprise, a gentle rhythm, peace and quiet, the lovely finished project.
Bliss.
After reading your post I do not think I will ever look at a JigSaw puzzle the same again. Your insight with the puzzle and God is very thought provoking for me. I have put puzzles together longer than I remember and is a great memory I have of dad and myself!
This time of social distancing for me has been a great time of Bible reading and meditating and drawing closer to God for me. I look forward to mornings with my Bible, Devotional and God.
Thanks Denise, I certainly enjoyed them for the time and did learn quite a bit. My morning time with God hasn’t been as rushed either – another lesson
Steve doesn’t enjoy puzzles, and I don’t enjoy working them by myself, so we are not among those whisking them off the store shelves! At Christmastime five of us worked on one picturing ten dogs. All that fur was quite the challenge! We too cheered each step of progress. The final piece, inserted by our oldest granddaughter, prompted tabletop drum rolls and a bit of hollering. Great fun! And who knew puzzles could teach so many life lessons? I especially appreciate your first one: only God sees the box top of our lives–and how beautiful the final masterpiece will be. Such a lovely thought to encourage to slow, step-by-step progress of each day. Thank you, Jean!
Re the top of the box showing the full picture it really helped to keep referring to it as we worked on the details Another lesson!
I discovered too late that other people wanted to do puzzles too! By the time I wanted to buy some, they were almost totally wiped out at the store. I did get one box, though, that had 12 smaller puzzles. I bought it reluctantly because I’d rather do one big one, but I think God knew this would be more satisfying and manageable for me in the long run. So once again, God was right! 🙂 Thanks for sharing these spiritual insights about puzzles. There are so many things we can learn from them!
I know. We wouldn’t have had such a choice in puzzle if my sister in law hadn’t had the gold mine full of them!
Yes, ironically, we have put together 4 so far, but only the 300 piece ones as projects have to move fast for me or I become disinterested. Prior to this I had only put one together in high school and never thought I would enjoy it, but at my neighbor’s prompting we started and found it really a nice time filler. Actually, once I get started, I don’t want to stop! Lol All of your insights are so true. I am keeping the card table up for the hot steamy days when it’s too hot for me to be outside and I am glad that I have finally discovered this nice past time.
You are wise to stick to those 300 piece one. The one that was 1500 pieces drove us crazy and wasn/t as much fun.
Jean, I’ve never had the patience for picture puzzles, but I do love the insights you’ve shared here of the lessons they can teach us about God and His bigger picture for our lives. I will say that I have been attempting word puzzles during this time as I ordered a Jumble puzzle book from Amazon. Sometimes I see the word right away, and other times, it takes going back to it repeatedly for it to come together. Still, I’m having fun with it.
Blessings!
I wasn’t much for puzzles either but they have been delightful companions for us. We are slowing down now and think we have hit our limit. I think word puzzles would be fun too,