"The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them."
Psalm 25:14
he makes his covenant known to them."
Psalm 25:14
Finally! I finished the puzzle I started two months ago! It seemed to take forever to put the pieces together—1,000 of them. It's true, it was a Thomas Kincaid with lots of similar scenery, and it's true, I didn’t have much time to work on it—sometimes it sat for days—but nonetheless it was much more difficult than I anticipated. When I began, I thought it would be a cinch to fit those pieces together. But was I ever mistaken!
I hadn’t worked a puzzle for years, but over Christmas, I got the bug. So, I went to Barnes and Noble, bought one and began. At first it was exciting and the borders fit together rather quickly. But then, the real work began. Sometimes I would sit for who knows how long and place only one or two pieces. Other times—I’m ashamed to say—I found none. A number of times I was so close to calling it quits. But one evening, things began to change.
I had spent most of the day preparing a Bible lesson to teach at our women’s Bible study, when at one point I decided to take a break and find one more piece of my puzzle. And while I was looking, it hit me: Putting a puzzle together is very much like putting a Bible lesson together. The border to a puzzle is quite easy, for all the pieces have a flat edge. Likewise, the general idea of a section of Scripture is quite easy to grasp—it’s like the border of a puzzle. But for both, the middle is the difficult part. In a puzzle it’s matching colors and pictures, all the while keeping the picture on the box in mind. In a Bible study, it’s putting thoughts and ideas together, defining words, and comparing it with other Scripture, all the while keeping the overall story of the Bible in mind. At times, both are frustrating, even exhausting, and I’m so tempted to give up. But suddenly, it all clicks. The study makes sense as God keeps His promise and reveals deeper truth, and the final puzzle pieces fit together like a charm.
And the most amazing thing happens—I can’t wait to do it again!
Blessings to all,
Judy Rose Grubaugh
I hadn’t worked a puzzle for years, but over Christmas, I got the bug. So, I went to Barnes and Noble, bought one and began. At first it was exciting and the borders fit together rather quickly. But then, the real work began. Sometimes I would sit for who knows how long and place only one or two pieces. Other times—I’m ashamed to say—I found none. A number of times I was so close to calling it quits. But one evening, things began to change.
I had spent most of the day preparing a Bible lesson to teach at our women’s Bible study, when at one point I decided to take a break and find one more piece of my puzzle. And while I was looking, it hit me: Putting a puzzle together is very much like putting a Bible lesson together. The border to a puzzle is quite easy, for all the pieces have a flat edge. Likewise, the general idea of a section of Scripture is quite easy to grasp—it’s like the border of a puzzle. But for both, the middle is the difficult part. In a puzzle it’s matching colors and pictures, all the while keeping the picture on the box in mind. In a Bible study, it’s putting thoughts and ideas together, defining words, and comparing it with other Scripture, all the while keeping the overall story of the Bible in mind. At times, both are frustrating, even exhausting, and I’m so tempted to give up. But suddenly, it all clicks. The study makes sense as God keeps His promise and reveals deeper truth, and the final puzzle pieces fit together like a charm.
And the most amazing thing happens—I can’t wait to do it again!
Blessings to all,
Judy Rose Grubaugh