The Puzzle.

It's a cold, rainy, windy, winter day. Despite the dreary weather, your goals for the day are enjoyable: drink cups and cups of tea, pop popcorn, and delve into putting together that 1,000 piece puzzle that has been sitting inside it's box, collecting dust. As you dump the pieces onto the card table, you realize that this task will take more than one day. It could take weeks, or maybe months.

You have two options:

1. Throw away the puzzle. You'll never get around to completing the puzzle anyway, why even try? This is definitely the easiest option. It just depends on if you can live with not knowing the complete outcome of the puzzle.

2. You could plug away at the puzzle, completing a section or so a day. It'll take longer, but the outcome will definitely be one of more satisfaction and excitement as you see the puzzle come together.

Are you seeing the parallels that the puzzle has with everyday life? We are the pieces of the puzzle. It is up to us to decide whether should live for ourselves and have an exceptionally planned out life, the American dream, a great job, and all-together impressive resume. That is definitely the easiest option. It just depends on whether or not you care about making a difference in other's lives'.

OR. You could "take up your cross"

and BE a puzzle piece.

This road is much more difficult and less traveled. It requires constant bursting of personal bubbles, stepping outside of comfort zones, traveling to places and doing things that we normally wouldn't have even given a second thought to normally. But if we choose this path, we are no longer "normal." We have given our lives to something Beyond Ourselves. We are part of something way bigger than ourselves. We are part of a massive, world-wide puzzle that is being constructed by the creator of the universe.

Are YOU a puzzle piece? Or are you just going to throw away the puzzle?