The Puzzle

Whew, finally, the last piece! I just finished a puzzle that was started at Thanksgiving while my kids were here. We all worked on it through out the five days they were here but I will have to admit they did the hard parts. They worked on the places that didn’t make sense, like the back round that was all one color. That’s what separated the men from the boys or more like it, the patient from the impatient. Only a puzzle lover could understand the jubilation of finding just the right piece, in fact, I could almost do a back flip over a whole block of pieces that fit perfectly. Wow, the visual on that was not pretty! Like I said, you have to be a puzzle lover to understand this explosion of emotions!

As I read scripture about the birth of Jesus I see pieces of another puzzle come together. The Bible is a giant puzzle that fits perfectly together if you have the patience to gather it’s pieces. As I started through Matthew, I highlighted each reference from the old testament. Just as I pick up the right piece of my puzzle and place into the perfect place, prophecy from the old testament fits perfectly into the Christmas Story. Amazing isn’t it? I get so excited as these perfectly shaped pieces, of the “perfect plan” fit together. Everything from the birth and ministry of John the Baptizer, to Mary, the virgin maiden, who was prophesied about hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus. I think we all forget that the beautiful story we think about at Christmas time or read on Christmas Eve was not an isolated event but it was that vital piece of the puzzle that brought redemption to us all. Is the puzzle finished yet? No, it will be finished at the return of Christ and then we can fully appreciate the beautiful plan that God set into motion. The puzzle will be complete and we will see fully, things that we only see in part for now. Praise His Holy Name!

In the same way that God has a great plan for the world, he also has a plan for you and me! There will be times when the pieces of our lives seem not fit together, when parts of the puzzle doesn’t make sense but rest assured, there is a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that he has a plan for our life, a good plan that is meant for our good. That means that even though our puzzle is not coming together right now, it will because I think that God is the master puzzle lover and He rejoices as each part of the plan he has for you comes together. God has all the pieces, trust him to show you day by day his plan.

All this took place to fullfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God with us”. Matthew 1:22-23

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. Matthew 3:3

Whew ! I feel another 1000 piece-er in my near future, how about you?