14 Sep A real-life jigsaw puzzle: God designed Masterpiece

As a little girl, I enjoyed solving jigsaw puzzles. I had sets which were colourful, vibrant, and beautiful. Every time I put the pieces together, it seemed as if the picture had popped up to life. I was thrilled with joy and satisfaction. With practice, time, and effort, I mastered this art. And, as goes with every game, at the end of the day all the pieces of the puzzle went back into the box, which was carefully put away in a cupboard. They were, indeed, a treasure.

Over the years, other games and activities replaced the jigsaw puzzle, and this particular art was soon forgotten. Before long, this little girl became a young woman, ready to face the game of life. To take up life’s adventure and play it with her whole heart, soul and mind.
There was one game I had always anticipated playing, a mystery which often puzzled me. This was the real-life jigsaw puzzle called Marriage!
A game wherein I had to have a playmate, too. The one I had often dreamt about. The one who would look forward to playing with me, not just once or for one day, but over an entire lifetime.

After all, two are better than one
Yippee!… this is gonna be fun!

I spent a lot of time reading to prepare myself to face this real-life challenge. “I cannot afford to make a mistake and have to give it my best” I calmly reminded myself. “Will this set have 50 pieces, or 500, or 5000?” I often wondered.

Soon other questions flooded my mind: “Will I be able to Pause, Rewind, or Fast forward? Once the pieces are out, they don’t go back into the box either, or do they?”. And it dawned on me one day that there was no final picture or pattern to follow, in marriage. Oh, my!! There was a sudden surge of fear. “Will I be able to play well? Am I ready for it?” I pondered.

With such questions on my mind, anticipation in my heart, and prayer on my lips, I was finally all set, I think, to meet this challenge head on, the real-life Jigsaw Puzzle.

In time, I identified who my playmate would be, a tall and handsome man who looked forward to solving this puzzle with me. Before we realized, we were handed our own set to play – a unique design that we had to figure out for ourselves. And, our special day was 4.4.16.

Wait. Did I just say a 4 times table? Did I get my math right? Was it to test my mental math? It was puzzling… Well, it was a fancy date of a different kind. The work of the Master manufacturer, the Grand Designer, who in his very own sense of humour wanted to hand it over to us in style!

On that special day my new playmate and I were exhilarated. “This puzzle will be our very own, unique and one of a kind”, we exclaimed. “Will this be mind-boggling, stimulating, and exciting?” we eagerly wondered.

With great anticipation, we carefully started unwrapping this gift, curious to know what’s in store for us. We wanted to play fair and go by the rules. As we stood there admiring, we soon realized the pieces were already emerging piece by piece. Of course, they were in different shapes, sizes, and colour.

There were patterns similar and some unknown
We soon figured this was nothing but our very own
We enjoyed putting together, the pieces we knew so perfectly fit
But there were patterns in front of us, we didn’t comprehend a bit
Like every other game there were times of laughter, excitement and fun
A fair share of frustration, disappointment and despair, before the setting of sun
Can we really complete it? Wish we could take a break
But the game had to go on ‘coz there’s a picture to create
Wine gets better with time, as they say
And this would be a lifelong game to play
Before we realized, it did dawn –
A year together was happily gone!

And so, we entered the second year, with puzzles and questions as before. It was fun, challenging and at times overwhelming. It took time, effort, sacrifices, and a lot of forgiveness. We wanted to ask the Master-manufacturer for a glimpse of the final picture. After all, won’t it make the game smoother and much easier?

We realized that marriage is a mystery to solve and this puzzle so unique to play. But, hey! Every piece in the jigsaw puzzle did have its own place to stay. So, with encouragement in our hearts, we continued the game enabled by faith, hope and love. Soon we did realize that we could realign, refit, and join pieces back, having the other’s perspective in mind. Hurray!! there were some winning moments, but the game was nowhere close to the end. It had only begun!

Now, at the end of four years we see a picture slowly emerging. A real-life picture with colour, texture and pattern, making it so beautiful, meaningful, and true. We have learnt to look up to the Master-manufacturer before every move we make. For He’s the Master-designer and the Perfect Matchmaker. He’s got all the answers and the big picture in mind. We need His love and grace, patience to pursue and strength to run the race.

As we enter another year, this is our humble prayer: that He would continue to guide our every step and direct our life’s game plan in the process of making it His handiwork: A Masterpiece, indeed!

A unique masterpiece, A priceless piece of art
A thing of beauty in which He’s played the main part
A perfect blend of pattern, emotion, and soul
To serve the Master Designer with one common goal
A colourful and precious sight, to enjoy and behold
Spreading joy and love to others, bringing many into the fold.

Susanna Simeon was an active EU student during her college days. She is currently a counselling psychologist pursuing her PhD in the area of marriage and family counselling. She is married to Samuel Simeon and they reside in Chennai.