This past Christmas I got the brilliant idea of doing a large puzzle. Perusing the Barnes & Noble shelves, I found an exquisite seascape with a large dolphin and tortoise. It was perfect—just what I was looking for, and only a mere three thousand pieces. Laying it out on our family room table I told my wife it would be done by the New Year. Yet when I began on the turtle, something surfaced that I did not anticipate, forcing me to revise my ETC (estimated time of completion). With the escalated number, I had not calculated how it would increase the difficulty level. It seemed ten times harder to locate pieces. Now March 13, it is only one fourth done (most from my son Matthew) which has added pressure in my home.
I found myself comparing it with several ongoing projects that are far from completion—due precisely to the number of pieces. The scope is more than I can imagine at one time. Yet the lesson of the larger puzzle is not lost. I’ve learned the only way to progress is to attack the detail. Bigger dreams are never achievable outside a breakdown. If we focus on completing the smaller links—who knows what might happen in time? I love the definition for luck: When preparation meets opportunity. With it still being early in the year, I wonder how many of you are starring at those big picture dreams and feeling overwhelmed. Join my puzzle club! Your focus needs to shift smaller. Just like hammering out a 3000-piecer, figure out what needs to get in place today, so God can do something big tomorrow!
This concept applies internally as well. How do you transform a habit? You build it: One moment. One hour. One day at a time. Something great can form in your life if you only break it down. I’m having a puzzle party in hopes of redeeming the family room table and points in my marriage—let me know if you can help!
PS: My blogs are less frequent because I am on the clock with completing my book manuscript. We are anticipating its release in the fall. Please pray for God’s shaping as I work over the next couple months to polish it off. Thank you!