Wow! Christmas is just around the corner. Can you believe it? It seems like it comes quicker every year. I love this time of year: the music, the lights, the food, and the excitement of the children. If you have children, grandchildren, or even great grandchildren you understand what I mean. My husband and I have a large crew of children and grandchildren so Christmas can be a little chaotic at times but it always ends up being lots of fun, and we have some great memory builders. Last year, the boys requested the latest and greatest that was on the market. They wanted “Pyscho Cycle” and “Snake Bite”. And you know when your kids or grand kids are small, the bigger the gift the better. Well, they were a hit but they were so big that the parents didn’t want them to open them until they got home because they would transport easier. Of course, that was a let down for them but because they got a few other gifts they played with some of the smaller things. This year my course of action is to once again try to get whatever their biggest desire is but to also get something that they can immediately play with and, something that they all can play together. So, the thought occurred to me that maybe I could get them a puzzle. But what kind? And what size should the pieces be? Should it be educational or just something fun? Oh, I’m getting so confused!

Dah, isn’t that what puzzled means: confused? When you are puzzled you feel confused, discombobulated, out of sorts, etc. My mother used to love to put puzzles together. The one’s that had lots of small pieces and many different colors and shapes. My sisters and I would sit for hours putting them together with her and we’d finally give up but she would be patient and figure it out. That was the key, “being patient”; and not letting the crazy thing get the best of you. She taught us that you look at the outside first and put the outside together before you can begin to really see the inside. And that it’s what’s on the inside that brings it all together. I can remember one year after my mother had her stroke, I was taking my daughter and her only son at the time to see my mom in the nursing home. He was about three years old. We were on the plane making our decent and he was looking out of the window when he turned to me and said, “Who made the puzzles?” I said, “God made the puzzles.” He had been looking out of the plane and was seeing the grids of the terrain below and it looked like a puzzle to him. Fortunately, it was all put together!!! Sometimes our lives are like puzzles. We become confused, out of sorts, worried. And, this manifests itself in our outward appearance. But if we will rely on God he will put us back together to become a thing of beauty. It’s not about what’s on the outside. But, what’s on the inside that matters.

I Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace . . .” May God bring you peace this Christmas season and take your confusion away. You are a thing of beauty to him and he knows every piece of your being. If you are worried, rely on him to take your worries and confusion away. May you be patient as he puts your puzzle back together!