Today, at the local children’s library I experienced a lesson in puzzling perseverance. It’s wonderful to have the honor of being a grandparent and helping your grandchildren to learn the art of perseverance in finishing something they’ve started. My granddaughter was excited as she pulled down a puzzle. “Oh look! It’s a princess! She’s so pretty!” She set the box down and studied the cover. Inside I was saying, “And you, my child are a princess . . . a princess of peace and Jesus is your prince.” (I know, I get a little sappy sometimes – one of these days I’m going to tell her out loud what I was thinking today, but today was a day to observe. Another young girl came over and leaned across the arm of my chair as if she’d known me forever and said, “My brother is in the other library – the grown up one – and I have to stay here while he goes to get some movies.” I nodded and said “Oh, so you are going to be here for just a little while?” “Yes” she answered. And looked around then back at me. “Well, I’m here with my grandchildren today” and I introduced them by name. She sat down by my granddaughter and talked about how pretty the princess is and then said “This is a hard puzzle because it isn’t square. Look – it just follows her wings and hair. But you should be able to do this because it’s here in the children’s library.” My granddaughter said, “I think I can do this too – do you want help?” “Sure! It’s sooo easy!” She started picking up pieces and tried to put them in place and set them down, diligently working to find some pieces to fit. Finally she picked up the box and studied it. “Well!” she exclaimed as she stood up and brought the box to me. “Look at this girl on the cover holding the last piece in her hand – like, how could you NOT know it would fit there?! Anyone could do that! Why didn’t she put it in?!” I smiled and said, “I think she was just about to put it in when they took the picture.” “Oh, yea,” she said and went to sit down and start working on the puzzle again. My granddaughter had put two or three pieces together and was wiping her forehead and looked up at me. I smiled as I said, “Good job honey!” They worked for awhile and made some progress when the other girls brother came and said he had the movies. “We’re leaving now,” she said and then my granddaughter to have fun.

Next one of my grandson’s came over and said, “She thinks she can put it together, but she always needs help.” I reminded him that he used to need help with puzzles too. (He beat me at two chess games today. I don’t know how to play and he was a little disappointed so now I’m going to have to learn how to play chess!) He went over to a book shelf and her other brother came and drove over her puzzle with a grocery cart, loosening some of the pieces and she simply put the pieces back in without even getting upset with him. “Oh,” he said. “I’m sorry! That’s a pretty princess!” And he went on his way. She continued on undeterred. It had been about 20 minutes and she had about 1/2 of the puzzle done. I asked her if she would like some help. “Yes Grandma, will you help me?” “Sure I will.” I got down on the floor and she grinned from ear to ear. I looked at the pieces to figure out some strategy and gave her a little advice. She picked up on that idea quite well. Then she found a piece that she really wanted to fit somewhere and when she couldn’t make it fit she said, ‘Grandma – can you make it fit there please?” “No honey, I can’t. Let’s try it somewhere else.” She began crying. “No, Grandma!” A big alligator tear rolled down her cheek as she picked up the piece and pointed at the box. “See Grandma! It’s the bracelet and the bracelet is right here!” Then she wiped her tears and tried to put the piece in again. And when it didn’t go in she cried and hugged her knees. “I know it goes there!” I suggested we look for a different piece that might fit there. “No, Grandma! There isn’t another piece.” And she started to stand up “Oh, honey. It’s not worth crying about. Let’s try a different piece.” No, I just want to be done. “Well honey, then don’t quit. Come here, look at this one. You are going to be so happy when you finish this puzzle. Don’t give up, ok?” She sighed and looked at me. “I want to go to the park.” I smiled, “I know, we all do – let’s not cry and just get this finished. I know you’ll feel so good about it. Here, try this one over there.” It fit and she smiled. Then I suggested she look at the box and showed her two bracelet pieces. She put the first one on the opposite side of the puzzle and then found the other and then another piece and another and she was on a roll! When she put the last piece in she smiled and looked at me. I smiled back as I said “I’m so proud of you! Doesn’t it feel good?” She stood up and looked at her finished puzzle and wrapped her arms around my neck. “You did a really good job! I”m so proud of you! Doesn’t that feel good?!” She looked at the puzzle and nodded her head yes. And said, “Yes it does Grandma! Now we can go to the park!”

As adults, we are sometimes puzzled by a project given to us, or even our lives and the circumstances we find ourselves involved with and sometimes we feel like my grand daughter did. We want to pull into ourselves or feel like walking away. But if we listen carefully to the Spirit of God encouraging us through the voices of people around us, (or even the gentle whisper in our thoughts and the depths of our hearts and minds) we don’t give up. Instead, we persevere. And sometimes – people are puzzled by our perseverance and perhaps, if the circumstance is one where an enemy is present – then perhaps our perseverance causes the enemy to flee. It is a holy thing to persevere in doing good and it is indeed, sometimes puzzling to those who don’t believe. Look at the good Jesus did during some of the most puzzling of circumstances in his life. We can gain alot of wisdom from his example and we can ask him to give us a the gift of Holy Wisdom to help us persevere through the puzzling circumstances in our lives.

Let us pray. . .

Lord God, thank you for the simple lessons in perseverance you give us in our daily lives. Please grant us Holy Wisdom to persevere in doing good in this world in order to help other people have an experience of heaven on earth to the glory of your name. AMEN