ONE LOST PIECE

I love putting puzzles together.  For several reasons, I reserve this activity for times when I am snowed/iced in and cannot leave the house.  The "Stay at Home" order has become my new excuse to puzzle.  So for the past few days, I have danced around the table putting together a puzzle.  Here is a synopsis of what this project looked like~

Here is the box with 1000 pieces just begging to be put together.  

If you look closely at the last picture, you will notice in the green of the sign over the store porch there is a piece missing.  You must understand how my process of assembly goes.  After dumpling the entire puzzle out on the table, the process begins.  It is a slow process and I divide it into numerous sessions during the day until I go to bed.  At the same time that this is going on, I am deep cleaning my house, pulling weeds out of flower beds, cooking, walking the dog, reading two books, and checking on my friends.  So my puzzle assembly is disjointed to say the least.  When the puzzle is finally finished and I am one piece short, I am a little perturbed.  With so many pieces, I knew pieces had fallen on the rug (which is also multi colored), so I got on my hands and knees and searched~all to no avail.  I finally took the puzzle apart to give to a neighbor who is completely shut in with health problems.  

BUT---I didn't give up---where was that one piece?  I had handed off a puzzle which would frustrate someone else because there was one piece missing.  No matter that the piece was green and there is lots of green on the puzzle--every piece was important.  So today as I continued my deep house cleaning, I moved every piece of furniture in the dining room and LOW AND BEHOLD--I found it!

I was bound and determined to complete the puzzle to have each and every piece.  Though I never physically put that piece in the puzzle, it has been passed on to the neighbor who now has the complete puzzle.

I was reminded of the story of the lost sheep and the shepherd who left the other 99 to find that one lost sheep.  We are all important---no matter if we blend in with everyone else and don't feel like we stand out or if we are the one who always stands out in a crowd like the one puzzle piece which was a complete bird.  The puzzle was not complete until each and every piece was accounted for.  What a comfort to know there is one who loves us so that He will not rest until we are all accounted for.  

There are lessons to be learned while "Staying at Home".  God is right in the middle of all of this.  He is not surprised by what has happened.  Look, listen, and think while being a good citizen and staying in-there are lessons to be learned.

4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

Luke 15:4-6