Puzzle Pieces

My Uncle Carter used to love puzzles. He would work the most elaborate puzzles on his porch in Florida. When we visited him, I marveled at how he had the patience to work these puzzles. Thousands of little pieces. Of course, it is a little easier to work the puzzle when you look at the box and see what the whole picture looks like.

I work with kids at our church on Wednesday nights. This month, we are studying the virtue of Hope, which we defined as believing that God can bring something good out of something bad. This week, we worked puzzles with the kids and talked about how we only see little puzzle pieces of our lives, but God has the box. He sees the whole picture. And while some pieces are happy and some are sad, the whole picture is beautiful because "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).

I had lunch with my sweet friend Katye today. Katye and her husband Rusty were expecting their first child, a baby boy, last December. They went to the doctor the day after Christmas for a routine checkup three days before her due date. Their baby (Scout) had no heartbeat. She carried that sweet boy for nine months and then had to say goodbye before she ever said hello. I've been blessed over these past few months to spend some time with Katye. She is definitely holding a puzzle piece right now that looks like it was put in the wrong box. It doesn't fit. Why would God include this piece in her puzzle? But Katye is trusting God and believing his promise that he will bring something good from all this pain. I share this story with you today for two reasons. (1) Please pray for Katye. She still desperately longs to be a mom. Pray for God to heal her heart. (2) Maybe you're holding a puzzle piece today that doesn't seem to fit. You can trust God. Remember, He's holding the box :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)