A lot of folks must be working on jigsaw puzzles during the pandemic because a few days ago, I bought the last puzzle on the shelf.

In addition to my pastoral work, during these days of being “safer at home,” Amanda and I have been spending a little more time reading, watching Andy Griffith reruns, and putting together jigsaw puzzles.

Last month we pieced together a 1000-piece puzzle of a Thomas Kinkade painting. A couple of days ago we passed the halfway mark toward completing our first 2000-piece puzzle which will eventually look like a collage of Star Wars characters.

I’m still not sure whether my affinity for puzzles parallels my work as a pastor, but I have discovered that bringing order to the chaos of this fragmentation is both relaxing and reflective.

Erno Rubik, who invented the Rubik’s Cube, suggests that, “The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life.”

As we navigate the days ahead, including the emergence of a new normal, I have been thinking about the lessons we can learn from a jigsaw puzzle. Here are a few takeaways from my reflections:

• Every little piece counts and contributes to the big picture.
• Don’t expect to see the big picture with clarity right away. Watch for it to gradually emerge.
• Attempting to force-fit pieces is futile. Some pieces that don’t look like they go together, do. Some pieces that look like they go together, don’t.
• To maintain focus and avoid disillusionment, it helps to keep the picture on the box in front of you.
• Start with the edges. It helps to know the boundaries, parameters, and perimeters.
• Looking at the puzzle from different vantage points provides a clearer perspective on the big picture.
• Working as a team is important. It helps to have one or more partners who can see things that you don’t readily see.
• Take a break! Walk away! Give it a rest! And you will find more matching pieces with fresh eyes.
• You will be tempted at some point to quit or give up. Don’t!
• Putting together little puzzles within the big puzzle may help to complete the big picture more efficiently.

Life is a puzzle, and so is figuring out how life is going to change as we emerge from the pandemic. It is wise to navigate these days with prayer, patience, and perseverance.

In Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) the Lord declares, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

During these puzzling times, if we truly believe that God will “make a way in the wilderness” and that God is preparing to do “a new thing” in our life, in the church, and in our world, we will be inspired to work together in this emerging reality even though we cannot yet see how all the pieces will fit together.

(Barry Howard serves as the pastor at the Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta. He also serves as a leadership coach and columnist with the Center for Healthy Churches.)