To me, life can often be compared to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  With the picture of the puzzle in view, the pieces can be put together successfully.  With only the pieces however, it is nearly impossible to make sense of the picture and frustrating to attempt to complete the puzzle.

It is not hard to lose dreams, speculations, and pursuits in the crush of ordinary living.  Most of us have to deal daily with questions, answers, and activities surrounding our money, family, health, work, and if we have time, dreams.  Living life at the pace we seem to be resigned to, it is easy to lose sight of the overall meaning of life.

The Questions

For centuries we have asked the same important questions about life and living, namely:

  • Who am I?
  • What is the meaning of my life?
  • Where am I going?
  • Does what I do really matter?

The answers we get to the above questions depend upon where we start.  If you start with the pieces of your life then you are bound to get more questions.  Focusing on money, family, health, work, and personal dreams can lead us to spend time and energy on things that are important but may have little impact on who we really are and our significance.

The Picture

In truth we are gifted with eternal not temporal qualities.  We are made in God’s image and given significance because we have living souls.  The pieces of life do not satisfy the soul’s appetites but the picture does.  The fact that we are eternal beings on our way to forever changes our understandings about the pieces of life.  We are free to live as stewards of this life and not bound to the narrow focus of selfishness.  Knowing that eternity is ours means that we can relax in this life when asking the “big” questions.  We can focus on the long road ahead and not the immediate sharp turns and detours that we often encounter.

The Gift

God has given us eternity and with it comes the joy of living in the good, enduring the bad, and benefiting for both as He directs us to and builds us for that which lasts forever.  This means that we are able to understand money, family, health, work, and dreams as temporary and limited, yet important in the long run of eternity.  Live today like you are going to live forever.  It will help you focus your life on the picture and not the pieces.