(We are all heading into a new year – a year of endless possibility. As we seek to make goals physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, may we be motivated but also enjoy the process along the way. Sometimes the beauty is in the journey itself and the lessons learned along the way become as important as the destination.)
She looked at the box in front of her. The end result displayed on the lid was colorful and alive and interesting. The picture drew her in. The only thing that kept her from tearing the box open and pouring it out on the table was the small print in the corner that read “1,000 pieces”. This morning that number felt too overwhelming to tackle.
Oh, she done many other puzzles. She knew it was possible. She knew that the finished product would be worth the time and effort, but she also knew that it would take just that – time and effort. This time she wasn’t sure she was up for the task. Still, the beautiful picture on that box enticed her.
She picked up the box and shook it. What sounded like millions of pieces rattle inside. Should she or shouldn’t she? There were so many other things she could put her attention towards. Still…the idea of taking tiny pieces and making them into something grander was appealing. The intrigue was too much. If she didn’t start, she would never know the joy of finishing.
Grabbing the scissors, she began cutting at the tape that held the top of the box to the bottom. She lifted the lid off and turned the box upside down, dumping all 1,000 pieces on the table. All different shapes and colors. Some right side up and others upside down. It seemed to be a completely random mess. But she knew this is where all puzzles started.
She set the lid face up in front of her, reminding her of her goal, giving her direction and motivation. This is what she would be working toward. She began turning all of the upside down pieces right side up. They wouldn’t fit into the picture if their brightly colored side wasn’t showing. The potential began to become visible as the dull grey underside flipped to reveal yellows, oranges, reds, greens and blues. Not a picture yet, but all the components were there to create something beautiful.
As always, she would start with the edge pieces, making a framework for the rest of the pieces. She picked up her first pieces and ran her finger along the straight smooth edge. This would be the beginning of something wonderful. It would not be quick and easy, but she would not stop until it was complete. One piece at a time.
She loved the feel of one piece fitting snugly and perfectly into another, telling her that they were designed to work together. And each time she felt the slight “snap” of that magical fit she knew that progress was being made. A picture was beginning to take shape. She was one piece closer to that goal of completion.
Day after day she would come back to that place and work on a few more pieces. Some days she would accomplish more than others. Some days she would only find the right spot for one piece. Some days she didn’t have it in her to even find that one piece. Days when she felt like just taking all those random shapes and throwing them back in the box and giving up. But she didn’t. There was a lid with a picture on it reminding her of the awaiting beauty.
And then it happened. The picture was near completion. It was the day when she would finish the project. She could feel it. Five pieces left. Four. Three. And then two pieces left. But there were still three holes in front of her. One piece was missing. She felt herself panic at the thought of all this work being done and not being able to have a finished product. She looked high and low for the piece. She scoured the table and the floor around the table, but to no avail.
Discouraged, every instinct in her wanted to scrap the whole thing. If it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t worth gluing together and framing. If not all 1,000 pieces were there, it wasn’t truly a picture.
But then something stopped her. She stepped back and looked at her work. It WAS strikingly beautiful. It HAD been a lot of work and time and energy. And 999 pieces were put together. Much WAS accomplished.
What happened next was something that she never would have found herself doing in the past. She went and got her glue and her brush and began the process of sealing the deal to put it up on the wall for all to see. A piece was still missing, but there was still beauty in the slightly less than perfect picture. And somehow the missing piece made it a bit more interesting. A conversation piece.
As she hung this new piece of artwork on her wall, it occurred to her that that missing piece would forever represent possibility and the never ending potential for growth. The missing piece was now as much motivation as the colorful lid had been before she had started this project.
The missing piece was no longer the goal but the story of the picture. And in it’s own special way, it was perfect. Just as it was.
Philippians 1:6 – being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
