Puzzle It Out

Do you like to work on puzzles? I’ve found that people are very divided on doing puzzles. Some love them, and others do not! Last year, when the pandemic had us fully locked down at home, our family looked for activities we could do indoors and together. As we’d never been “puzzle people” before, we decided to try it. My daughter found a 3,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that had a very complicated but beautiful picture and we set out to put it together.

The first thing we did was find all the edge pieces and worked together to build the “frame” of the picture. Then we looked at the sample picture we were trying to create, and organized the pieces by color, attempting to group similar colors and images. Then we started looking at the shapes of pieces and trying to find pieces that fit together. It took us about six days to complete, and we spent a couple of hours on it each evening. My son hated it. My daughter and husband were determined to conquer it, and I had a mixture of both feelings. But when we had the final product completed, it was so pretty, and we felt very accomplished. We even framed it and have it hung on a wall as art and to remind us of a very strange time in our lives.

Did you know puzzles are great for increasing your brainpower? Figuring out puzzles is a form of problem solving, and that is a very important skill to develop as we grow up. Puzzles can be a solo activity or one to do with friends and family. They can be pretty easy, and they can be extremely difficult. It’s up to you to go for the challenge you feel like tackling.

Just as in life, we will all come to things that are difficult to figure out, much like a hard puzzle. But we must remember that we are never left alone to work through them. Jesus is always there to help us put the pieces together, line them up, and make them work. He’s the Ultimate Puzzle Solver! All we have to do to get His help is ask.

Make a Puzzle of Your Own

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

■ sturdy paper or thin cardstock
■ crayons or markers
■ scissors

HOW TO DO IT:

Using crayons and markers, choose a favorite Bible verse (you can use the one above if you wish) and print it neatly on your paper. Then color the paper however you like. Draw little pictures and shapes and use as many or as few colors as you like. Then cut the entire picture into little shapes with edges, points, grooves, and curves, just like a puzzle. If you are younger, ask a grown-up to do that part for you. When all your pieces are cut, place them in a jar or small bag, shake them around, dump them out, and solve your puzzle!

Happy puzzling!

Bible Treasure

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).