Puzzle Pieces

I love doing puzzles. Anyone who really knows me knows that once I start one, I will work and focus (and sometimes zone out) until I am done. Since I know this about myself, I often avoid starting puzzles unless I have time to sit and work on it.

When I do a puzzle, I start with the edges (or the foundation). It gives a great starting place and give hints and ideas about where to go from there. Next, I move pieces into similar groupings; similar colors, similar themes, outlines of a main picture. This helps me focus on specific smaller areas and be able to work little by little. I have found that no matter how difficult the picture is, once I have filled it in to a certain point, the pieces almost fill in the rest of the puzzle by itself.

Recently I discovered that I am like this with the rest of my life. Whenever I am learning something new or increasing knowledge in a particular area, I start with a foundation and continue to fill in the pieces or group it with other similar information.

I have also done with the gospel taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is so much information that when it is taught, it is usually by small pieces of information. It is our job to combine the information (fill in the puzzle pieces) to create the giant picture of what it looks like. I sometimes also do with my life. What will my life's puzzle look like once I have found and placed all the pieces together into a whole?

Many of these posts are me putting my puzzles together (I may also refer to it as connecting the dots). Gratefully, the puzzle pieces just keep coming and the picture keeps looking better and better. (See 2 Nephi 28:30 in the Book of Mormon: "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more;")