Today's Devotional

Today's Verse

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and Source of our faith, [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].

~Hebrews 12:2

Thoughts on today's verse...

Are you a jigsaw puzzle aficionado? If you have ever worked a complicated jigsaw puzzle, you know three things about them:

First, they take time. Few people can put several hundred pieces of puzzle together rapidly. Most large, complex puzzles take several days, sometimes even weeks to complete. The fun is in the process, the satisfaction in the accomplishment.

Second, the starting point of a puzzle is usually to identify the corners and edges, the pieces with a straight edge.

Third, jigsaw puzzles are fun to work by oneself, but even more fun to work with others. When a "fit" is made between two or more pieces, the excitement is felt by all the participants.

Perhaps we should consider the day ahead of us like a piece in the puzzle of our lives. Sometimes the "shape" of our day is just as jagged as a puzzle piece and the colors just as unidentifiable. Even the meaning of today may not be sequential to that of yesterday. What we're experiencing today may actually fit with something we've experienced several months ago, or something to be experienced yet in the future. None of us will be able to see the "big picture" of our lives by observing only one day. And even at that, we can trust that there is a plan and purpose, that all the pieces will come together according to God's design and timetable.

On the days we find the straight-edged pieces of our life's puzzle -- truths that become a part of our reason for being. On other days, we find pieces that fit together so we understand more about ourselves and about God's work in our lives. And on all days, we can know the joy of sharing our lives with others and inviting them to be a part of the process of discovering who we are!

The main thing to remember is to enjoy the process. Live today to the fullest, knowing one day you'll see the complete and full picture.

My prayer...

Ah Lord, some days my life is a puzzle -- or at least puzzling! And like a puzzle, it is exciting and exhilarating when we see the pieces come together. And then there are the other days when nothing comes together and it even seems as if the pieces have come apart all on their own! Lord, You know how very much I rely upon the box cover to complete my puzzles... I don't have that benefit when it's my life. But You do, you see the complete picture. So on this day, this very day I am asking You, the Master of the Puzzle to grant me grace and peace as I diligently lay the pieces of my puzzle before You. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Special Note: I'm late with today's post! I slept in again and it was wonderful! Thursday's are my "late" days in the library. I go to work at 11:30 and work until 8:00 p.m. Then it's home, unwind, and to bed to get up and return to work by 7:30 a.m. I might be getting too "set" in my ways to be as resilient as I was when younger!

Yours, because we're His,

Tamara