October 24

            When I was a child, one of my favorite pastimes was putting jigsaw puzzles together with my grandfather. Once I got started helping put it together, it was hard for me to stop and do other necessary things, such as eating. I still am that way when I put puzzles together.

When you buy a jigsaw puzzle, the box top always shows the picture of what the puzzle eventually will look like. But with a thousand pieces or more, it’s hard to imagine that the puzzle will look like the picture when it’s completed. Yet it does. Each piece has its own designated place. By itself, it doesn’t look like much; but in its proper place, it becomes part of a beautiful design.

Life itself is like a jigsaw puzzle; the only difference is that there’s no box top picture to show us what it’s supposed to look like. But not just individual lives are like that. Life as God created it is like a puzzle. Each of us has his or her own spot in the grand picture. We may not think we amount to much individually, but once we realize that we are all members of the body of Christ – each person with his or her own talents and gifts to bring to the mix – Life can be a thing of exquisite beauty. May God grant us all the ability to contribute willingly to His creation.