Pieces of the Puzzle

I've told you before I have a puzzle piece tattoo on my right foot. For those of you just tuning in, it represents the idea that everything in life happens for a reason, whether good or bad -- when you look at just a single piece of your life, it may not make sense, it may be ugly, but when you put it together with all the rest of the pieces, it creates a beautiful masterpiece designed by God. It's not the most beautiful of tattoos, but that's really the point. It means something to me every time I look at it. It fits with the tattoo my little sister got with me, and the other two points on the puzzle piece are for my husband and my best friend (who, coincidentally, were also supposed to get puzzle pieces on their feet for my birthday, but didn't... subtle reminder, if you're reading...)

Anyhow, lately I've been telling the same stories over and over. How important each person in your life is, because God put them there (and you in their life) for a reason. I must've said that ten times in a day to one of my good friends recently, and here I was reading Joyce Meyer's "Change Your Words, Change Your Life" again today and came across this:

"God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way." (16)

Follow these steps: at 16, I was engaged to my second 'real' boyfriend. I planned to go to Western Michigan University, but followed him to the University of Michigan instead. I received my degree in English Language and Literature in 1999 and married him two months later, already miserable. Moving closer to home in 2001 to a tiny little town, I needed something to remove me from my misery. I auditioned for a play half an hour away and met some great people (including my best friend and the man I would later marry, though I had no idea yet.) We divorced, I dated the cute guy from the theatre, we moved in, got married, got custody of 2/3 of his kids, I had to find a different job so I could have flexible hours, and I started working at the coffee shop where my husband worked. I met Andie, Marla, Krista, and so many others who have ended up being a part of our ministry in some way, shape, or form. Theatre and coffee shaped my life, right?

No, God shaped my life. He intricately put together each piece of the puzzle right before my very eyes, and I could never doubt the masterpiece He's creating, still.

Stephanie Jean