Is There Any Correlation Here?

   I have been in the process of putting together a puzzle sent to me by my daughter as a present. The picture on the box shows a bunch of pencils, some with advertising on them and others either devoid of any words or, at the least, pencil hardness or maker.

   When I looked at this 1000 piece thing, I saw all the words in it and thought, "just put the words together and fit them in, no problem. There are so many clues it should be a snap".

   Here is a glance at my puzzle strategy:

      1. Look at the listing on the box for the size when completed...say 24"x36"

      2. Search the pieces in the box for corners and straight side ones..

      3. Place the corner pieces (if found) in the proper position on the puzzle board corresponding to the overall size when completed.

      4. Then, checking the box top frequently for clues, try to fit in the side pieces

      5. Realize you may be missing a few side or corner pieces, search the puzzle box for these that were hiding the first time around.

      6. Repeat items 3 and 4 again

      7. Then repeat item 5 then 3 and 4 again.

      8. Go with what you have and begin to work on main body of the picture

   With these puzzles that have a lot of clues, here is what I do:

      1. Forgetting the frame, and knowing all the pieces and groups will fit inside it, I try to start with an easily distinguished grouping...like this one which began with the white pencil with Statler in large letters.

      2. I match pieces together, making the group as large and complete as I can.

      3. Doing this several times, I have various groupings scattered around the board in various sizes. Early on most of these are of the two or three piece variety.

      4. Frequently checking the puzzle picture on the box, I add pieces the groups already started by looking to see what fits in around it.

      5. Realizing the puzzle is quite a bit larger than the box picture, and that some of the writing is too small to read, I find my magnifying glass so as to see where the writing I can actually see on the piece, fits in

   On and on I go, for days on end, making new groups, attaching them to the border, attaching them to each other and looking for individual ones to fit in the blank spaces.

   Until Finally...

   But aren't there some correlations here between the puzzle and the life that we live?

   First of all, the boundaries of our earthly life are fixed ahead of time. God, who operates in the past, present and future all at one time, knows where and when we will appear on the scene, and also when we will exit.

   The God of the Universe also knows what "pencils" will mark our lives, and how they will be grouped together.

   He also knows where the individual ones, and their combinations will fit into the blank frame, and how they will affect and connect to each other.

   We've got a drawer full of "pencils" that have been important in our lives, and maybe we can see how some go together, but not until the frame is all filled in will we realize the extent of the interconnection.

   Some will be readily recognized, but some may need the magnifying glass.

   We are all making a puzzle picture as we live our days.

   What pencils am I accumulating and how do they fit together?...

   What will the final product be?

   How many of these "pencils" did I pick up myself and how many were given by others?

   It's a Puzzle...