Puzzles are a productive outlet I gravitate towards to work with my hands and let my mind take a break. Every puzzle requires time and attention for it to take shape. The pieces do not magically put themselves together. At the beginning of a new puzzle, I shuffle through pieces to find the corners, edges, and unique shapes or pieces with key markings. I will go out on a limb to say serious puzzle people (not me) have a strategic method they follow every time. Regardless of how each of us approaches a puzzle, the outcome is the same. All the pieces are connected, fit together. When the puzzle is complete the picture stares back at us in full form.

Now, imagine your life is a 1,000-piece puzzle. As you open the box, pieces spill out onto the puzzle board. Your eyes quickly notice every single puzzle piece is blank. No color or markings to give a hint as to where it belongs on the board. You notice the different shapes. And you start to pick up edge pieces to move off to the side. While spreading out more pieces, you land on a corner piece. Things are off to a great start. But there is a small problem. You do not have a picture of the completed puzzle. You do not know how this is meant to turn out. Do you go at this blindly? Absolutely not. There is a Helper. And He knows exactly what the puzzle looks like because… He created it.

My Helper is the Lord. As I live each year, pass through another decade of life, my puzzle takes shape more and more. Pieces connect with others. And there is life coloring each one. The corner pieces slipped into place early in my life. Sometimes it takes decades for people to find their corner pieces. It is the beauty of how each puzzle takes shape by different methods. I like to think of the corner pieces as the anchors in my life. The beliefs, values, and people I choose to hold closest to me. This includes faith, family, love, hope, kindness, and generosity. The corner pieces are revisited again and again to remind me which direction I am facing because sometimes life takes me upside down. Anyone else?

After the corners and edge pieces are in place, my eyes search for the “easy” pieces. The ones that stand out. Easy pieces are seamless obvious parts of my life that fall in place sometimes without much effort or my realization. Picking up a softball as a seven-year-old felt natural. Hours spent sanding and painting in my Dad’s cabinet shop gave me a sense of accomplishment. Business classes in college awakened this desire to improve chains of supply from beginning to end. And one of the most natural pieces is living with my sister as adults. Some things click. You know without a doubt they make your life better.

In between finding the easy pieces we search frantically for hours (or years) for the pieces we think are in the box. And then we realize those pieces are not in our box because they do not fit into our story. Some of those pieces could be exploring a new city, marrying that person, building a career in that industry. Instead, the piece that is in your box is staying and becoming an anchor. To be wildly filled by friendships, laughter, and unmerited favor. To spend years encouraging your friends or young people in your life to get back up and take the next step instead of being a Mom to see your children take their wobbly first steps.

Finally, I think about the unexpected pieces we come across. A shape that looks out of place. Is this in the wrong puzzle? When I pick up an unexpected piece, I do not know why I need it or how it fits into the puzzle, but the piece lays in my hand. I feel the curves with the tip of my finger. I ask the Lord to help me find where it goes and show me the reason why this piece landed in my box. For you, an unexpected piece may be a miscarriage, layoff at work, or a medical diagnosis. I have picked up unexpected pieces that take the shape of a car accident, cancer, and rejected friendships. Do you notice it is the unexpected pieces that are the ones you point out when the puzzle is completed and remember the time it took to find its place? The journey led you down a path of growth you did not know was inside of you. And the unexpected turns into a milestone.

Regardless of how each of us approaches life, we do not miss the pieces meant for us. If you are holding an unexpected piece, remember there is purpose. When you land an easy piece, celebrate. And most importantly ask yourself, is the picture that takes shape in front of you something worthy to behold?