Fit the puzzle
Have you ever tried to force a puzzle piece into a picture and it didn’t fit? “But it should fit,” you say, “because the color is right.” And then: “There is too much blue sky for only the few pieces left. There certainly must be a missing piece or one of these must fit!”
And isn’t it a joyous feeling when it does fit and the puzzle is finally put together? We see the perfect picture and are pleased—realizing it was there all the time!
Well, often our problems seem to take forever to find a solution. We may try every which way to get the proper answer and try to force the outcome, which perhaps is not the right fit, or the right solution. Finally, we turn to prayer, listening for God’s direction and find that the right answer was there all the time.
I was once asked to do a big job in a short time span. This job required a lot of research and different parts that needed to fit together—only I didn't know where to begin. The thought of its vastness made the task look impossible—like a 1,000-piece puzzle!
As a student of Christian Science, I’ve learned that our Father-Mother God cares for us as His beloved children, and when we listen for His voice, we will hear the answer in a manner that we can understand. The poem “ ‘Feed My Sheep’ ” by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, set to music, kept my thought above the task at hand, as I sang “Shepherd, show me how to go ...” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 304 ) along with the work. With singing, I felt the presence of the divine Comforter and that nothing could prevent me from accomplishing my job, for God, divine Mind, knows all and shows us the way. Also, I was aware of how in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mrs. Eddy described time as “mortal measurement; limits, in which are summed up all human acts, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, knowledge; ...” (p. 595 ). As I thought about this statement, I could see that I did not have to depend on the clock to get my work done, but rather I could lean heavily on the “sustaining infinite” (Science and Health, p. vii ). And I did—with a joyous, grateful heart. Trusting in God’s guidance and moving along with assurance that step by step each question would be answered promptly, I plunged forward. And I was able to complete the ten-hour job in eight hours.
A puzzle takes patience and perseverance to find the right piece for the right section. And prayer often takes patience and perseverance to see a problem through to its completion—to resolution. Finding the right answers for each challenge that comes up daily is like a continual working puzzle. A solution can’t be forced, just like a piece of cardboard can’t be forced—just because it looks like it should fit—into a place it wasn’t cut out for. It must fit the correct spot. God is All and we are His reflection, made in His image and likeness, according to the first chapter of Genesis (1:26, 27 ). So we have a perfect spot with God, and God is always there to show us how to express His being in our daily work and life—in a perfect way.
