LifeThought: Arrange whatever pieces come your way.

Arrange whatever pieces come your way. — Virginia Woolf

Like many people, I love putting together jigsaw puzzles. Knowing what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like makes it easier to find the pieces and put them into place. Last year, my family gifted me with a custom face puzzle which was actually quite fun to put together but it was incredibly difficult. If I didn’t know what the end result would look like, I doubt I would have been able to finish it.

Life, however, is often more like the video game, Tetris, than it is a jigsaw puzzle. In Tetris, the goal is to arrange the random pieces as they fall from above, flipping and rotating them as necessary to make them fit with the pieces you already have.

This may, at first, seem contradictory to my previous writings about the importance of goal setting and having a clear vision of what you want your life to look like. Knowing what you want from life and working to achieve that vision is very important and I’m not setting that aside. If you don’t have goals and a vision for your life, you will not know what any of the puzzle pieces look like, nor will you be able to arrange the pieces into a meaningful pattern.

There will be times when you feel like you are in control and life is going just the way you’ve planned–like you are completing a jigsaw puzzle. During these times, you are looking out on the table of life at all the possible pieces, intentionally choosing which pieces to pick up and place into your life. Cherish these days and use them wisely!

Other times will come when it feels like your life is out of control and random pieces are falling from the sky, threatening to ruin the puzzle you were trying to complete. When these times come, you need to keep two very important things in mind: everything has a purpose and you are always in control of how you choose to arrange the pieces.

When life throws a puzzle piece at you that you were not expecting, it is easy to panic and fall into despair because you have no idea why that piece appeared when it did, nor do you know what to do with it. I know all about these days! It helps to know that nothing is random. God has a plan and knows exactly what the finished puzzle of your life looks like. He is the one sending the pieces at just the time He planned. You may not understand or like the piece you are dealing with right now, but you need to remind yourself that the piece has a purpose even if you don’t understand it. You can find peace in that thought.

You also get to choose what to do with the pieces as they come to you–at least emotionally. You can let the pieces fall all around you while sit in despair and say “it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” Or you can look at the piece, realize there is something for you to learn from it and try to arrange it as best you can to fit with the other pieces of life you have. It may not be a perfect match, in your eyes, but trust that it is the right piece for you right now.

So, arrange whatever pieces come your way!


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8 thoughts on “LifeThought: Arrange whatever pieces come your way.

  1. Melinda Viergever Inman

    Just what I needed to hear and exactly at the right time, as usual. Thank you, Bruce, for being beside us on this trip called life, encouraging us with truth every day. I am praying for you.

  2. Ryan

    I love the Tetris analogy. It is perfect and having a vision to make those pieces fit together is perfect.

  3. Katie

    Yes, I too am enjoying the Tetris analogy. Although not a video game player myself, it really does fit perfectly in this situation. My favorite quote from the post:

    “everything has a purpose and you are always in control of how you choose to arrange the pieces.”

    Thanks!
    Katie

  4. Evelyn Roimen

    What a wonderful piece Bruce. Food for the soul. At times, it’s hard to comprehend everything, but it wonderful to be reminded that everything happens as it should and at the right moment. Thank you Bruce.

  5. subba rao

    Very good analysis . God is perfect mathematician and planner. As you mentioned he will be sending the ;pieces and we have to tune ourselves to receive them and place it perfectly . Thankyou

  6. Diane

    Very comforting words. We have learned to walk by faith and not by sight. God says that all things work for our good if we love Him. Thank you for sharing. I also enjoy your Twitter posts.

  7. Sharon

    Wonderful analogy – thank you! Agreed – nothing is random. After a very tough year with my husband unable to secure employment, I know God has a wonderful plan for us. He is the one busy sending the pieces at just the time He planned. May His will be done!

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