First, they take time. Few people can put several hundred pieces of a puzzle together rapidly.

Most large and complex puzzles take several days, even weeks to complete.

The fun is in the process, the satisfaction is in the accomplishment.

Second, the starting point of a puzzle is usually to identify the corners and edges, the pieces with a straight edge.

Third, jigsaw puzzles are fun to work on by oneself.

But they are even more fun to work on with others.

When a “fit” is discovered between two or more pieces, all the participants feel the excitement.

Consider the day ahead of you like a piece in the jigsaw of your life.

Indeed, its shape is likely to be just as jagged, its colours just as identifiable.

The meaning of today may not be sequential to that of yesterday.

What you experience today may actually fit with something you experienced several months ago, or something you will experience in the future.

You aren’t likely to see the big picture of your life by observing only one day.

Even so, you can trust that there is a plan and purpose.

All the pieces will come together according to God’s design and timetable.

On some days, we find straight-edged pieces of our life’s puzzle.

Truths that become a part of our reason for being.

On other days, we find pieces that fit together so we understand more about ourselves and more about God’s work in our daily lives.

On all days, we can know the joy of sharing our lives with others and inviting them to be part of the process of discovering who we are.

The main thing to remember is to enjoy the process.

Live today to the fullest.

Knowing one day, you will see the full picture.   

- Reverend Denis Sotiriadis, Anglican Parish of Horsham.

The You and the Church column appears in the Wimmera Mail-Times’ Friday edition. It gives the region’s churches an opportunity to share their views and insights of the world with readers.