by The Standard | Podcast July 16, 2020 https://thestandardnewspaper.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Puzzle-July-16th.-2020.wav
There is still a considerable debate over what constitutes wisdom. The accumulation of life experiences does not automatically activate wisdom in adulthood. Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like you should give up after a failure, but perhaps in that failure there is a lesson? We struggle to make sense of those jagged edge pieces that don’t fit our picture of life! Often, we do not have clarity around where we are going or what is needed to get there. At times, life may feel hopeless and impossible. Wouldn’t it be nice to know beforehand where the puzzle pieces fit? The problem with determining what makes a life well-lived, changes depending on your values, goals and beliefs. When confronted with a problem I usually try to sort through all the puzzle pieces and face them head on! Carl Rogers wrote “The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is direction, not a destination.” Many of us focus on what we think we can control externally in our daily lives rather than what we feel and see, on those things we reflect upon, on the inside. I know most secular successful people create their own road maps: outlining a clear purpose which aligns with their aspirations. Often, when most of us attempt this, we forget about the metaphorical expansive mountains, deep valleys, rivers and deserts, not aware of road blocks or detours! When once we do become aware of some of these, we can begin to stress and worry. It’s easy to get bogged down or sidetracked and become paralyzed with fear. Perhaps, seeing the bigger picture can provide a new perspective! Many individuals measure their success by earning money and gaining power or influence, believing those are the missing puzzle pieces, in their life! We all have goals and different measurements of success. When navigating your road map, cramming those puzzle pieces together is not always the best choice! Hopefully, my puzzle pieces include wisdom, as I attempt to follow the road map God has left for me. Look at your life and ask yourself if your goals are aligned with God’s values and priorities? Is God moving in your life? Every believer needs to fight for what God wants to give us, mostly, in the manner of yielding to it on the inside. Once the last piece gets into place it transforms the entire picture with amazing clarity. If you’re ready to start creating a new and improved road map, start with reading the Bible! Salvation is by faith alone and faith comes through believing in what God says. We all need salvation because of sin but first we must know why we need to be saved! We will all die physically, and most of us are spiritually dead and separated from our Creator because of sin. Look for Him, watch and wait for His mighty hand to display His glorious works. Lessons have taught me to no longer be self-reliant but rather God reliant. He waits on me to pick up my scattered pieces, and bring them to Him. Often, we do not recognize His hand in our life because we are either too distracted or are trying to make the puzzle pieces fit perfectly! How is that even possible, God is the only one who has the whole picture. We cannot control everything, but we have the ability of controlling our choices and behaviours: what we say, think, do and feel, while under Gods direction. As I journey, I find myself taking one step closer to Christ every single day and suddenly the puzzle pieces are falling into place.