Blog Repost: A Puzzling Solution

Dec 9, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

I wrote this post at the beginning of this year. Maybe you like to take the month of December to reflect on the past year. Here are some ways to think about 22013. ~Jerolyn

During the holidays, I have loved setting up a puzzle to work on with my mother-in-law. Now that she is gone from us, I still enjoy working on puzzles with my children. So right now there is a card table in my living room with an unfinished puzzle on it. (The one I chose was a tad harder than usual.)

As I’ve been working on the puzzle, I’ve been taking some time to think through 2012 and look at what 2013 holds. The puzzle is teaching me new ways to view the new year.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Start with the border. When you have boundaries established in your life, you at least have a designated area to work in. We can’t all do all things. Jim often says you can do a lot of things okay or do a few things well. Couple that with my low capacity, I need to keep things simple and focus on a few areas.
2. Group the same colors together. For me this is staying organized. When I am not organized, chaos ensues. Then I am so overwhelmed that I don’t accomplish anything.
3. Sometimes you need to completely step away from the puzzle to see the colors better. At a distance I’m able to discern which pieces I need that up close were just blending together. There are areas of our life that have holes. We need to see those holes and what resources we have to fill them.
4. You can’t force pieces to fit. We all were designed in a special way for a special purpose. Sometimes we are forced to temporarily fill a role, but eventually we need to get back on track with our own strengths to be most effective.
5. I periodically move around the table and work on the puzzle from a different angle. Working on one area of my life all the time reduces perspective, energy, and balance.
6. Knowing what the final picture will be really helps in putting the individual pieces together. Unfortunately, I don’t know the final picture of my 2013. But I know the One who does, and I trust Him to guide me. I just need to listen and walk in faith.
7. Look up and make eye contact with a human being. Too often we become so absorbed in our life that we forget to appreciate the people around us. This is one I have to really work on. I’m a “to do” person. I have my to do list, and I put my head down and plug through to get it done. But the most important part of our life is in our relationships.

You may not be a puzzle person, but everyone is trying to piece together this thing called Life. Some do it better than others, but we can all take steps to be more purposeful in our growth in 2013.

What steps are you going to take to become a better you in 2013 and to connect with the people around you?

~Jerolyn