clarakatalin

Lately, I’ve been slightly obsessed with comparing my understanding of life to putting together a jigsaw puzzle (see my previous post here)

Growing up in a family of six, we (at least us females) really enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. My older sister might have been the most talented at it, my mother the least. She lasted only a short time at the puzzle table, perhaps because she was busy, but possibly because she became frustrated with the process. Sometimes she was absolutely convinced that a piece belonged in a particular spot, and would declare, “But it HAS to go there!” almost trying to maneuver it into the hoped-for space. I must confess, I have done that myself.

Aren’t we all like that sometimes? We want something to work the way WE want it. We try all kinds of ways to make it work. In the end, we have more peace if we surrender and accept that it won’t work. Of course, there are times that we should fight to get something to work, like a cherished relationship. This takes some discernment — even in relationships we have to surrender our wish to be “right,” or our desire to get back at someone. In the long run, it takes prayer, discernment, and sometimes guidance from the Holy Spirit and others to decide what to let go of and what to fight for.