May
9
2017
Mystery Solved
Posted in Bible 2 Comments
I am not a puzzle kind of person.
Assembling a jigsaw puzzle is not fun for me.
It takes a certain kind of skill and a certain kind of patience.
However, my children enjoyed all the puzzles I had around when they were young.
We kept the our many puzzles in a bin.
There were puzzles with all levels of difficulty.
Small puzzles for the little ones that could be assembled in minutes.
Larger puzzles for the older ones that took far longer to put together.
I do not know how I found them, but when I saw the puzzles they caught my eye.
It was right around the time when my older children enjoyed Agatha Christie mysteries.
It was solving the mystery that kept them enthralled.
It was putting all the pieces together so they could come up with a solution.
Who-dun-nits were always their favorite.
We had some super sleuths who could figure out the mystery with just a few clues.
We had others who need a bit more time to put the pieces together.
I always liked the reveal and enjoyed seeing who came close to the solution.
It was on a website that I saw the puzzles.
The box said: The Alphabet Murder Puzzle Series.
First, I needed to see if the content was appropriate.
Next, I needed to see if the mysteries were of the Agatha Christie type, cerebral instead of gory.
Upon further investigation, my concerns were abated.
Only puzzles, A, B, and C were available at that time.
The mysteries to be solved corresponded with the letter.
A is for Arson, B is for Birthday, and C is for Chocolate were the first ones I purchased.
From the back of the box:
First you must read the story that outlines the crime. That is simple enough. Then you assemble two, 500 piece puzzles that represent, “before” and “after” evidence of the crime. Easily done, except those two puzzles have been mixed in the SAME BAG! And to preserve the mystery, no actual puzzle art is shown to you. After the puzzles are finally assembled, there is still a baffling murder mystery to be solved. Hours of puzzle solving fun for crafty sleuths aged 12 to adult.
There it was.
First, a story needed to be read.
Then, two 500 piece puzzles needed to be assembled.
The box offered you no help whatsoever.
I remember when the puzzles were begun.
After reading the story, the puzzle solver may or may not have had an idea of the solution.
That did not matter.
There were two puzzles to solve in order to be sure.
Not being a puzzle kind of person, I cannot tell you how my children actually solved it.
Each had their own method.
As the puzzle pictures began to make sense, there was a vague idea of how to solve the mystery.
When the puzzles were finally assembled, the answer was plain to see.
It did provide hours and hours of fun.
It required skill, patience, and brain power.
We have puzzles A through H high up on a toy shelf ready for another challenge.
There was such a feeling of accomplishment when the puzzles were completed.
Some people do not like to follow directions.
They like to figure it out as they go along.
Assembling things that require precision and careful thought cannot be handled this way.
Assembling furniture, a gas grill, or repairing a car needs precise directions to complete.
Sometimes a task has to be left for a while in order to get a better perspective.
Sometimes you have to walk away for a bit in order to see something in a fresh way.
Sometimes you are a little too close to see things clearly.
Sometimes it is the Ah-ha that happens when you have time to think that is most beneficial.
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ (Luke 8:9, 10)
We do not go through this life clueless.
We have God’s Word to read that tells us all we need to know.
In fact, we really cannot define ourselves apart from God.
God’s Word tells us who He is and consequently, who we are.
For some, reading God’s Word is like the two 500 piece puzzles all jumbled together.
They do not know where to begin.
They do not have a clue as to how to make sense of all the pieces.
Until that mystery is solved, everything seems disjointed and confusing.
God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
The Holy Spirit solves the mystery.
The Holy Spirit teaches us what God’s Word says.
The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth.
The Holy Spirit makes things clear to us, all to the glory of God.
Then when we open God’s Word, the Ah-ha comes.
What we did not see before is now clear.
What we did not know before is now known.
We discover all God did for us through His Son and the salvation that is ours in Christ.
Mystery solved.
First you have to read the book.
Then you have to have the Holy Spirit’s help to assemble the pieces.
Only then does the mystery become clear.
Wonderful analogy! I think many people think the Bible is too “hard”, but with the Holy
Spirit’s help, we can all understand how much God loves us. Your recent Bible study certainly was a blessing to me.
Sue,
The Holy Spirit makes God’s Word clear to us. When we hide God’s Word in our heart, we can then teach it to others. Our Bible study was a blessing to me as well. We all grew in our love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
Gina