I love puzzles. Gets the brain going, keeps it alive - Crosswords, arrow-words, word-searches, codewords...all great brain exercisers. Then comes along....Sudoku.
I hated the sight of the square grid with random numbers placed here and there, some with explanations of how to solve the puzzle, some without.
I found it confusing, aimless and didn't understand what the newly founded love amongst many was. I took a look, dismissed it, and forgot about it. I can say, the reason for this approach was because I was used to the conventional crossword, word search puzzle I was used to.
Sudoku was new, and I didn't want to embrace the new.
Then one day, this puzzle box of randomly placed numbers began to pop up everywhere and anywhere I seemed to look...I even had a dream about it! I decided to give this little block of logic a go. I chewed my pen tip, scratched my head, fiddled with the numbers, and before you know it - hey - the numbers all worked out. (It also helped that I decided to this time round read the explanation of how to solve it). Each row with its own number, and each square with its own. I did it! I had cracked the game I had detested, and found that I actually .....liked it, and I could attempt to solve the puzzle and come out on top.
What had I done differently to be able to master the quiz, when initially I thought it was impossible? I decided to tackle it from another angle. Instead of looking at this puzzle as the big picture, I decided to delve into the individual boxes and tackle the smaller numbers first. a pattern began to emerge and from taking it piece by piece, the bigger picture evolved until it all made...sense.
That's how it is with life. We are presented with an issue/opportunity/goal/target, which at first, we take a glance and dismiss it with a nose up in the air and a furrow of the brow. We look at what is before us and label it as one to go in the 'I don't like/hate pile'.
What tends to happen though, is when we do not attempt to tackle what is before us, we can find that we may sometimes miss out on what was a 'puzzle' that could be solved, a goal that could be reached, a target to be met...a blessing in disguise.
Now, though I may not label Sudoku as a 'blessing' it made me think about the way I viewed certain things and my approach and often dismissive air to what seemed initially impossible. Things that God may bring our way that doesn't seem to make sense at first, with His help - we are able to tackle it and conquer it! I realised with mind control and concentration - what seemed confusing and impossible, with trial and often error and greater input and effort would eventually bring about a possible situation that was clear in its entirety.
Don't give up on what seems impossible, confusing and more hassle than it's worth, dismissing it as being not worthy of a cause. Sometimes the gems are found in the toil and labour of working and attempting what seems impossible. You may find that the cause could actually bring about a great and positive effect.
This is a very small and random analogy, but use it in bigger and more important areas...things may begin to make a little more...sense.
Matthew 19:26
With God, all things are possible.
