Next we’ll take the word, “bunny” – in two parts:
Part A: The bunny is a little like puzzle pieces
As my friend gave me the bunny and said goodbye, she said, “Laura, when you are overwhelmed trying to put the puzzle pieces of your life together and things don’t make sense, just hold the bunny, and know that God is in control!” It may seem like a little, insignificant thing, but it meant a lot to me at the time. I don’t hold the bunny often, but I have on occasion and I enjoy sharing the story with others.
Now “he” sits right next to my computer as a reminder to me every day. The puzzle pieces of my life remind me of the tapestry illustration. All we see on earth is the underside of the tapestry of our life – full of tangles and mish-meshed colors, seemingly without design – but God, not bound by time or space, sees the whole beautiful tapestry from His perspective, knowing the beginning from the end.
My brother and I used to enjoy going to our Grandma and Grandpa Rothwell’s house in NJ. Life was simpler then and I have fond memories of doing jigsaw puzzles and playing cards with my grandparents. My grandpa had Alzheimer’s later in his life and passed away in 1980. As I’ve struggled with memory these last few years, I think of him from time to time.
Some thoughts on solving jigsaw puzzles:
- According to USA Today Classified Blog https://classifieds.usatoday.com/uncategorized/the-surprising-benefits-of-puzzle-solving-for-adults/: “Solving puzzles helps reinforce existing connections between our brain cells. It also increases the generation of new relationships. This, in turn, improves mental speed and thought processes. Jigsaw puzzles are especially good for improving short-term memory.” (Good news, right? Now, if only I wasn’t losing my vision too!! 😊)
- What do serious puzzlers do first? Assemble the border, right? (I like the fact that God knows “the border” of my life! Each puzzle piece displays just a tiny part (what I can see) of the picture’s full image. (God’s viewpoint).
- When we first dump out the box of pieces, it’s chaos! But, order begins to come from the confusion as we become more aware of the “big picture.” (This comes from reading God’s Word, knowing Who He is and who we are!!)
- Each interlocking piece is unique and contributes to the entire puzzle. (We might not always see during our lifetime what God was crafting, but we can trust that He knows each intricate detail. I also think the same analogy can be drawn for each member of the body of Christ fitting well together into the whole.)
- As we assemble the puzzle piece after piece, room is made for more puzzle pieces to be added. (Sometimes we have to let some things go in order to make “room” for something more important that fits just right.)
God works behind the scenes in our lives–most often doing His best work when we are unaware! All He demands of us is that we “sit down at the table” (like my brother, Grandpa and I) and try to do that work of putting it all together with Him. We analyze what works and what doesn’t, trying a piece at a time. We cooperate by aligning our wills with His will. We can trust Him, our great Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End!
Prayer from The Glorious Names of God, by Mary Foxwell Loeks:
Alpha God,
We lay before you that which we will attempt to begin this day.
We acknowledge that without You, all our attempts at beginnings are in vain.
We can’t see what will result from that which we now begin.
Apprehension is mixed with our enthusiasm.
We place it before you, Alpha God, knowing that you see not just the beginning, but the whole.
We worship You, we build our lives upon You, our Alpha God, who is truly without beginning.
I’ve shared with you how the bunny represents puzzling, confusing times in my life when I have to trust that God knows when I don’t. Next time, Part B represents the spiritual significance of the bunny to me.
Until then,
(Laura)
Fuzzy Bunny Beauty 