A Metaphor For Life

I love to do jigsaw puzzles. Recently, I was in the throes of a rather challenging puzzle when it occurred to me that these puzzles are a wonderful metaphor for life. I believe God (or Source, the Universe, or whatever you believe in) has a master plan for us. Each of us is one of his masterpieces.

We start with His vision: a picture of a beautiful, mysterious, adventurous, and accomplished life. Then he cuts His vision into pieces, throws them in a box, and shakes them up for us to assemble. So, we start on our way, creating our lives piece by piece. We put some of the pieces together with great ease and comfort. This period represents our childhood as hopefully well-intended and loving adults tend to our needs and take care of us. As we navigate into our teens and early twenties, we often attempt to place pieces of the puzzle together that aren’t a good fit. No matter how much force we use or wishful thinking, the meshing of these pieces isn’t meant to be. It might manifest as relationships that don’t work, not getting accepted to the school that we had imagined, or being turned down for what we thought was our dream job. These are the times when the life we had planned is taken on a different path because God has bigger plans for us.

A Turning Point

These bumps in our journey can be a turning point, a fork in the road, or a time when we give up because the puzzle is getting too hard to complete. We decide to do it our way. Instead of trusting God, we take the wheel and decide we know better. We like the idea of God’s vision for us, but somewhere along the way, unworthiness, comparison, or arrogance leads us astray. These emotions and life experiences cloud over the masterpiece of God’s vision. In times like this, we may push the puzzle into the corner to collect dust for a while, or we might even put the remaining pieces back in the box and retire them to a shelf in the hall closet.

Are You Too Busy?

Then what happens? We get busy and wear our unconscious diligence like a badge of honor. We brag about our ability to multitask, which is a myth that only serves to distract us and exhaust us. Let’s face it: no one can lay claim to the false idea of possessing the superpower of multitasking. We can only live in one moment at a time. As we endeavor to accomplish more, we are living less. All the while, we forget that we have a masterpiece of a life that God is patiently waiting for us to embrace.

The Subtle Signs

His messages to us are subtle yet significant. He whispers wisdom: “Stop trying to fit in where you don’t belong. Stop comparing yourself to others. Trust your gut; that’s me guiding you. Be yourself. You matter. Be present, and don’t let your mind wander down the halls of worry, fear, or uncertainty.” These signs are His puzzle pieces—an invitation to bring forth His master plan for your life, one intentional and divinely guided piece at a time.

Keep Your Ass In The Saddle

The following is an excerpt from my book, Keep Your Ass In The Saddle:

“To create a life that you love, you must start being accountable for the choices you make because every single one of those choices has contributed to what your life looks and feels like today. You must become your own hero. YOU are the only person who has the ability to change your life.

Yes, fear will raise its ugly head. Know that and be brave anyway. Temptation will knock at the door. Know that and say, “No.” Decide that you are no longer going to play small. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.    Your past does not have to dictate your future. Let that shit go.

Talk to yourself like you love yourself, and mean it. Show up for yourself each day. Start now. Not tomorrow, not in ten minutes–now. You owe it to yourself to make your days count. If ever there was a time to dare to be all that you can be, it is now.

Embark on this journey; you are worthy. There will be good days and bad days and sad days and glad days. Most things worth doing come with a few challenges along the way. Do not give up. Be your own hero because YOU are worth fighting for.”

I invite you to get your puzzle off the shelf, dust it off, and start putting your masterfully planned life together one beautiful and purposeful piece at a time.