It's All Fixable

After taking a bit of a sabbatical from puzzling, it was time to start up a new one.  Sunday evening, after returning from our weekend at home, I sent my hubby off to have an evening meal with his District 2 partner in the ND Senate, and heated up some leftovers.  A quiet evening home alone seemed like the perfect time to get busy on my next puzzle adventure.

Looking through the options I had available, I gravitated to one called, "Trump's General Store."  [The puzzle has been in our possession for many years, so try not to make this political!] It is a 1,000 piece puzzle which, when completed, is also another kind of puzzle.  The picture is made up of common objects, such as pencils, combs, sink plugs, and playing cards which transform into shelving, chairs, lights, and ceiling tiles in the picture.

                                  



The first step is always sorting out the edge pieces, but in doing so I also found another type of piece to sort.  Along with the typical puzzle shapes, many had sides lacking the "knobs and holes" we associate with puzzle pieces.  Some were easily confused with the straight edge pieces, with only a slight curve to them.  Others had a wavy sort of shape to the sides, making me question the wordage on the box claiming it to be a "fully interlocking jigsaw puzzle."

As I sorted, my "object lesson brain" began to formulate a spiritual lesson.  In my mind, the border pieces represented the sovereignty of God.  He is the one who holds all things together.  I found the other pieces fell into three other categories. . .nearly straight edge, curvy sides, and your usual "knob and hole" pieces.

After working on the sorting process for a time, my seeking brain was given a further "God Lesson" based on these shape types.  I saw the nearly straight edged piece as those who have lived a strong Christian witness.  They have followed their Master, Jesus, long enough to inherit many of His characteristics.  Although not yet perfect, they have a definite look about them which reflects who their God is.  They have recognized Jesus as their Savior, and also made Him Lord of their life.

The curvy pieces brought to mind the newer Christians.  They have started on their spiritual journey, but haven't quite picked up on all God has tried to reveal to them, so aren't quite as "straight" as those more seasoned in their faith walk.  They recognize Jesus as Savior, but haven't fully realized He also wants to be Lord over everything in their life.

The rest are the knob and hole pieces.  They seemed to represent the ones who have not yet found Jesus as either their Lord or  Savior.  These lives are filled with empty spaces waiting to be filled with all God has to offer (the holes) and also may contain "bumps" (the knobs)  picked up by not adhering to the narrow road God desires all of us to walk.

The final lesson I received was they are all a part of the puzzle.  Our world is a crazy mix of lost, saved, and fully surrendered people.  Somehow, God is there surrounding us all, and providing us with the opportunity to be a part of His picture.  It may look like a mess out there, but it's all fixable.  What kind of piece are you??