Faith Venture

The jigsaw puzzle contains 1,000 pieces. The photo on the box cover does not portray the actual completed puzzle. The box contains a story of a murder. The story describes the scene and action.

You dump the contents on your table, turn the pieces picture up, and proceed to find the border pieces.

So far, so good.

But now you begin assembling the pieces with no clear idea of the big picture.

Life imitates art someone said years ago.

You try to imagine the type of person you strive to be. You may imagine and list goals to achieve.

But you assemble your life without seeing the big picture. You can’t foresee the surprises lying in wait. You don’t understand at first how all the pieces fit.

Then slowly piece-by-piece the picture becomes clearer. This part fits with that part. Relationships form. Direction becomes clearer simply by living a day at a time and putting it together.

We recently drove about 2,500 miles on various trips from Illinois to Tennessee to Ohio to Illinois to Missouri. It was the middle-to-end of October. The deciduous trees were in full color.

Golds and reds blended with some green holding on to summer painting a beautiful landscape in the hills.

People who study these things say that the colors are always there. The green from chlorophyl hides the colors while the tree’s growth stage needs the sunlight energy converted by the green.

When the green fades away giving way to a new stage of life, the vibrant colors become exposed.

And I wondered, what holds us back? What negativity, cynicism, bitterness, or even pride and ego cover our innate vibrant self?

What do we need to start shedding in order to show our true colors?

You see a physician maybe once or twice a year. They measure your blood pressure. They make a diagnosis based on one snapshot, perhaps prescribing their favorite medication. 

Maybe they do bloodwork once a year. They make a diagnosis based on the one snapshot.

Your blood pressure varies over the day based on many factors. Your blood analysis varies also. Maybe your last meal before the fast included something you don’t normally eat that drives up cholesterol or triglycerides.

Jesus also observed the heart. But a different kind of heart. The heart as center of emotion, faith, empathy.

Do you monitor your own heart—the one that concerned Jesus? Maybe just a snapshot checkup after a religious experience? 

Maybe we need something for the heart like a continuous glucose monitor where we can check in several times a day to see where we’re OK and where we’re slipping.