Saturday, April 18, 2009

One Puzzle Piece



I dropped in to see my parents the other day and Mom showed me the puzzle she was working on. She commented on it being a very difficult one and expressed her frustration at not being able – after considerable concentrated effort- to connect the last pieces of the side borders and there were no more edge pieces.
I sat down and looked at them….exchanged the position of a few pieces and voila! The borders were intact. Mom expressed her relief at seeing the pieces correctly fitted together, enabling her to keep building, her focus shifting to the other pieces that could now find their places.
One puzzle piece .. missing or misplaced… no matter how small or insignificant in itself... can stop, hinder, or confuse the whole puzzling process .

I just finished a book (review coming) in which the author made a comment in the last pages .. He said.. “ No one has ever lived the same life as you and that is one of the things that makes your ‘puzzle piece’ extraordinary."

You are a valuable piece, created to be one piece in God’s puzzle of His divine purposes. You cannot be replaced.

You are uniquely gifted , positioned by divine direction, and enabled to fulfill your pre-designed purpose!
But how often do you wonder, as do I , “Me ? what can I do that would ever make a difference?”

In the photo above, which piece did you notice ? The Yellow one? Why?
Did you stop to realize that that piece is just as mundane , just as ordinary as all the other pieces? It is just one of many that would be lost in the shuffle..except for the fact that it stands out!!
What made it stand out? It was purposely turned to catch the light .. and the reflected light turned it to gold !

We may not be able to change where we are put in life’s shuffle but we CAN turn so that we reflect the Light of the world.

It is, as we allow Jesus in us, to shine through us that we stand out and cause even the mundane duties of ordinary days to be something special in the hand and purposes of God.

Mat 13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"


(photo courtesy SFB579's photostream )

10 comments:

Lovella ♥ said...

Julie. . .your mind must never stop . .seriously .. some times I even think around my house. . Julie would find an object lesson out of this. .as in the coffee maker debacle. .
I appreciate this post. .and look forward to a book recommendation from you.

Truth said...

I so enjoyed reading this. It should be on MY blog, lol. The same thing happened with my mother-in-law and a puzzle she and her friends were working on. They couldn't get the edges to work because the pieces were out of place.

I was talking to one of my daughters yesterday about her boss. She couldn't figure out why the man was so negative. I told her sometimes people take positions that they are not gifted or intended to have.

It reminded me of a principal at the Christian School. He was a wonderful teacher, but when he became the principal it was awful. He did not have the skills or inclination to be an administrator. It served to only frustrate everyone around him and he himself was terribly unhappy. I'm sure the position made him feel so inadequate.

The whole scene was like the unfinished puzzle edge. It just didn't come together. It didn't matter how hard everyone worked or tried. The pieces didn't fit.

Betty said...

I agree with Lovella, you amaze me, how you find meaning in the most simple thing!
This spoke to me and I thank you for that! I will try to be that little piece with the light shining on it... :)

Anneliese said...

Julie, I love this post! A puzzle piece reflecting the light - no different than the rest - but it's the only one that fits a certain space. That's a lesson for all of us. Thanks!
By the way, your cheese buns look good. There are a lot of people who appreciate your recipes.

Marg said...

Thanks once again for your illustrative stories. I always look forward to your gleanings.
It makes me reflect, "Do I stand out like that as a servant of Jesus?

Vicki said...

Julie, this is a great post...so easy to identify with! (I'm agreeing with Lovella, too, and wondering if you can find a lesson in every knick-knack around your house!)

Thank you so much for your wonderful, thought-provoking posts (and your greatly appreciated prayers!)!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

I am always amazed at the way both light and water add incredible beauty to "mundane" things....and I think it is not by accident. After all, we know Who is the light, and Who provides the living water! So no wonder God's world also reflects His nature and light and water reveal beauty in creation.

Judy said...

So true...we are each uniquely and wonderfully made...and only we can fill the role (puzzle piece) we were intended to fulfill.

You do come up with the best illustrations...object lessons we can grab onto!

Betty said...

Oh Julie I sure do appreciate your object lessons..I always know there is one coming. I want 'my puzzle piece' to fit exactly where God meant it to be!

Anonymous said...

thank-you for the encouraging, uplifting post Julie!

and

tag. you're it!