Puzzles

This year for Christmas one of my sons gave me a 2,000 piece puzzle. This is a bit beyond my normal abilities. 500 to 1,000 pieces are our normal challenge. This one took a while. Want to know why I like puzzles?

1. Puzzles teach me endurance. So many things can be obtained right now. Puzzles strengthen my ability to stick with it. The patience and perseverance needed to complete a puzzle is practice for real life. I don't always do well in the pop quizzes that life hands me. Puzzles are a way to get in some reps with intent.
2. Puzzles teach me to set boundaries. I always complete the border before I go further on a puzzle. My life needs boundaries. I do the best I can to set my boundaries according to scripture. This builds integrity into my daily routines. With that boundary set, life begins to take shape in a way that makes sense.
3. Puzzles build community. The biggest reason I like puzzles is because I can get my family to unplug and spend some time together around the table working on something and talking with one another. We have to plan these opportunities sometimes. Connection takes effort. When there are 2,000 pieces, connection takes a lot of effort and the effort has many opportunities for connection.
4. Puzzles teach me to be divergent in my vision. The end-goal of a puzzle is to complete the picture. However, there are 2,000 details that have to lock into place and function in congruity before that picture fulfills its intended purpose. We are developing DiscipleLeaders at TBS, but this takes as many forms as we have students, staff, parents, and grandparents. It's a fun process. We learn from each other along the way.

Wipe everything off your dining room table and go buy a puzzle. See what lessons you will learn.