Puzzling From The Inside Out

Puzzles!! The sound of that word either makes a person smile with pure joy or it will make them run in pure fear. I personally am the first person. I LOVE puzzles. Most times when I sit down to work on one, I become lost in it. The world quits spinning and nothing else seems to matter. Speaking with a friend about puzzles, we joked that when a person loves puzzles you tend to forget to eat, shower, and sleep. Any 'normal' activity that one should accomplish in a day goes to the wayside. Nothing matters but the completion of that particular puzzle.

Now you may be wondering why I choose to write about puzzles. And if you have read any of my other posts, you know I write about how and what God's has been teaching and speaking to me about. Hang in there and I promise there is a good illustration/learning moment that God spoke to me and hopefully will speak to your soul/spirit.

I feel as if I need to back up a bit and explain where and how my love for puzzles came from. My love for them came from my family. If only you could see the shelves of puzzles that are at my parents house. Many Sunday or Saturday afternoons/evenings we as a family would get out a 1000 piece puzzle to start. Some were finished that day or night while others took a few nights. I remember asking for 10 more minutes many a times when bedtime came and went. My brothers and I always wanted to put in the last piece and remember many a times hiding pieces just to make sure we could put that last one in. (Of course Mom figured out all the hiding spots) Before we ever got to the last piece - the pieces were sorted: outside piece in one pile and the inside ones in another pile. Only after the outside frame was assembled did we proceed to the inside pieces. Which is how I normally assemble puzzles. Until now that is.....

I began this puzzle about a month or so ago and only since this past week have seriously been putting it together. But as you can see, have not made it very far. Even with the help of a few friends, the outside frame still has yet to be put together after a week of trying. I finally decided either a new strategy had to take place or I would just give up and back in the box it would go. I decided to go with a new strategy - inside first.

As I was setting out all the pieces for the inside I began to hear God speak to me. "That's how I work too. I start on the inside and work my way to the outside." ."...People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b) When God had Samuel anoint David as king - Samuel only saw a young shepherd boy who had brothers that would seem to be much more qualified for the job. I began to think about all the people I encounter on a daily basis and even began to think of my youth students. So many times I only see the outward appearance and how frustrated I get at seeing only the surface level of the change, which at times is nothing. No matter how hard I try to make a change in them - nothing seems to fit. People going about life with misfit pieces - in my eyes -  of their life. It's during these times I forget to look at what God is accomplishing in their lives that only He sees. And because I don't see the progress with my own eyes, then there must not be any progress.  Oh how I need to change that way of thinking! God forgive me for not seeing what you are doing in each individual I encounter on a daily basis. And for to many times only seeing the outside of a person.

Just as this puzzle has forced me to look inside first rather than the outside, I pray that I always remember that God always works from the inside out. And most importantly for me to allow him to work from the inside out in me.




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