A Puzzle, My Daughter, Jesus & Me.

This is a post from my journal: 

This week has not panned out like I had planned. Trinity came down with the flu on Monday, and Israel was sick by Thursday. What I planned to be a fun-filled, adventurous holiday week turned into a quiet week at home watching movies and giving the kids their meds. Last night, I promised BBelle that tomorrow she and I would put together her Tinkerbell puzzle, that she got for Christmas. After a series of events took place today, I finally said to Belle, lets put together your puzzle. Isabelle loves puzzles. She is particular fond of a puzzle that has the picture of the puzzle as the backdrop on the hard cardboard mat that she puts the puzzle together on. She really enjoys it because it helps her to cheat and match the puzzle pieces to where they go. This puzzle doesn’t work that way. Its very traditional in the fact that all we had to go by was the box top with the picture of the how the puzzle should look.

To start, I started pulling all of the border pieces out and encouraged Belle to do the same. She kept wanting to pull pieces and try to put them together. I kept on track while Belle soon started getting disinterested in the puzzle. She would get her necklace and ask me to put it on. She started to pull out another puzzle to play with. I kept encouraging her to help me. I said, “BBelle, I thought we were doing the puzzle together. Don’t you want to help me?” She replied, “No, I don’t want to do it anymore.” I said “Ok but I really want you to do the puzzle with me.” To no avail, I continued on with the puzzle. Every once in awhile, my daughter would peek at my progress. She would pick up a piece try to match it and lose interest again. I would continue to ask her “BBelle, don’t you want to help me put your puzzle together?” She would say no.

Steadily the puzzle was coming together to the point where we could see the picture aligning with the picture on the box. There were only a few holes and gaps in the puzzle. At this point, Belle picked up interest again in the puzzle. She would pick up a piece and say, “Where does this go?” or “Does this piece go here?” I would then help guide her to the place where the piece would go. She progressively picked up speed and excitement about finishing the puzzle because we were so close. The puzzle was to the point where I let her finish it as I guided her when she needed help.

During this journey, it could have been easy for me to put the puzzle away or to force Isabelle sit down and finish it with me. Instead, I diligently worked on the puzzle because it turned from something to occupy belle, to something I was really enjoying doing. In these moments, of Belle’s excitement of the completing of the puzzle, the Lord showed me a picture of myself. This time though, I was in Belle’s place and the Lord was patiently and diligently working on the puzzle. I realized that the puzzle was the work of the Lord in my life in this season. I was the one getting bored and impatient. Because, I don’t have the foresight to see how the jumbled pieces could come together to make a masterpiece, I quickly lost interest in being apart of the process. I know the plan and the dreams that the Lord has placed in my heart just like, Belle knew what the puzzle was supposed to look like by looking at the box cover. Unfortunately, I’ve become discouraged by the process or unsure of the outcome. I’ve lost heart and lost interest. I’ve wanted to turn the towel in and focus on something else and let other distractions take place instead of working on the puzzle with my Maker.

At this point, I was fighting the tears back while completing the puzzle with Belle. How could I be so childish? How could I be so quick to be distracted and grow bored with the plans that the Lord has for my life? As I sit and questioned in my heart these things, I knew I need to quiet my thoughts because the Lord wasn’t done teaching me the lesson.

He showed my just as I was diligently working on Belle’s Tinkerbell puzzle and never stopped, He hasn’t stop working out everything in my life. The beauty of Jesus’ Grace is that I could jump back in and be a participant at any time. Just like I continuously encourage Belle to join me, so the Lord encourages me to join Him in His work. It doesn’t matter how many times that I get distracted, the Lord is still willing for me to jump in and join the game. Obviously, His perfect way would be for me to start the ‘puzzle’ with Him from start to finished, but He would not hold it against me. Just like I let Belle jump back in when she began to see the big picture of the completed puzzle, and I didn’t deny her access or reprimand her for stopping. I lovingly let her come in and take over to completing the task that I originally designed for her to do. In this same way, my Heavenly Father doesn’t reprimand me for being distracted or condemn me or block me from helping complete the work that He started and is faithful to finish.

Isabelle and I completed the puzzle! She was so proud and started to destroy it so that we could do it over again. Jesus, help me not to destroy your perfect work and help to learn from the experiences in my life.