A Childhood Memory of Puzzles
Do you like jigsaw puzzles? When I was growing up, we often ate our meals on a tray in the living room. It wasn’t because our family was against dining at the table; it was generally because my mother covered the dinner table with a thousand pieces of the newest jigsaw puzzle she was tackling.
To be completely transparent, I’ve tried to work on jigsaw puzzles before but have never finished one with more than 25 pieces. I just don’t have the patience for it. Seeing a thousand pieces scattered on a table is daunting to me. However, watching my mother taught me a trick or two. She always kept the lid of the box handy because the lid gave her a glimpse of what the final product would look like. She would prop the lid up where she could frequently gaze at it, examining the color schemes. Then, intently observing the chaos on the table, she found the piece she was looking for and its match. Methodically, she would begin putting pieces together, starting with the corners and then working her way to the middle until the chaos became a masterpiece.
Life’s Unfinished Puzzle
Now, when it comes to life, wouldn’t it be great if it came in a box with a completed image on the cover detailing precisely what God’s plan for you looks like? Yet, by now, you have figured out that life does not come with a picture of what your journey will look like; instead, it is a path where each day, you must place one foot in front of the other without knowing what will be around the corner or over the next hill—in his letter to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul stated that we should walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The Struggle of Walking by Faith
Walking by faith isn’t always easy. Our fallen human nature wants to figure out what we don’t understand. Just glance at the titles of the latest book releases and see how many promise they have found the secret to success, happiness, or the meaning of life. Or, observe the parent who pressures their child to follow a specific school or career choice because they are convinced they know their child’s best future. My personal pet peeve is social media posts during a crisis such as COVID-19 or during an election season and seeing how many “so-called” prophets and experts show up, promising they have secret knowledge of future events. Our fallen nature doesn’t want to walk by faith because that forces us to admit we don’t have control of the future and that life requires us to trust God.
A Lesson from the Disciples
We aren’t alone in this struggle; even the first disciples of Jesus struggled with walking by faith and trusting God with the future at times. In writing his narrative of the early church, Dr. Luke begins by addressing that God alone knows how the story of life will conclude.
Acts 1: 1-8 (CSB):
“I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach two until the day he was taken up after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. ‘Which,’ he said, ‘you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.’ 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?’ 7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'”
It’s plain to see the disciples did what we often do. They took recent experiences and some theological knowledge and tried to force the pieces together to figure out what the end picture looked like. I assume these disciples were contemplating the events they had recently experienced, such as the betrayal, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Then, after hearing these final words of Jesus before His ascension, they tried to decipher if all these events meant that the end was upon them.
In His grace and wisdom, Jesus did not criticize, condemn, or condone the disciples’ eagerness to figure out the Father’s plan. He simply reminded them that knowing all the details of life’s puzzle was not for them to figure out; instead, they were to trust that the Father had a plan and knew what He was doing.
Our Purpose in the Puzzle
Jesus informed the disciples that while they walked by faith and waited, there was a purpose for them. Their part was to be a witness for Christ to every person, everywhere, until God decided He was ready to complete the picture. It is still our part to play in today’s world.
Looking back at Luke’s introduction, we find a series of helpful elements God has given us to strengthen our faith for the journey ahead.
Helpful Element #1: We have the Gospel.
God has given us the Good News of Christ. To Theophilus, Luke wrote that his letter’s purpose was to give him a narrative of Jesus Christ. When you and I open the New Testament, we have the written narrative of Christ from His first followers. The writer of Hebrews proclaims that the Scriptures are alive and able to dissect, heal our souls, and even discern our thoughts (Hebrews 4:12).
Helpful Element #2: We have the Testimony of other believers.
If we look intently, we can be inspired by faithful followers of Christ who have walked by faith over high mountain peaks and through some of life’s darkest valleys. Their testimonies encourage us to trust God during our own struggles.
Helpful Element #3: We have the Holy Spirit.
Capture the weight of this truth. The Apostle Paul to the church in Rome stated in Romans 8:11, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”
To the Church in Corinth, he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.”
If you have trusted in Christ for Salvation, you have been born again into the family of God. You won’t always know what tomorrow holds nor see the end of the story, but you can rest assured that you have been called to share the greatest message the world has ever heard. You have a spiritual family to walk with you and teach you through their own faith walk, and you have the very presence of the Living God abiding inside of you.
You are blessed beyond measure and gifted beyond your wildest dreams. Pursue God. Stay focused on the journey and leave the puzzle to God to work it just as He has designed.
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