This is Puzzling

I was finishing up a puzzle one day and I saved the last two pieces for my husband to put in when he came back to it.  He had done most of it anyway and I didn’t feel right putting in those last pieces.

There’s something about putting in that last piece that seems sort of triumphant.

I am hoping that by telling you how nice I was in leaving those pieces for him, you won’t judge me when I tell you the thing I did that wasn’t so nice.

Our oldest daughter is home for a little while and she and my husband were working diligently to finish up a 1500 piece puzzle.  I had helped here and there, but this thing was massive and extremely hard.

So anyway, as they were down to the last 10 pieces or so, I walked up and leaned over the table to look at it.  The devil came over me and I simply could not resist his powerful draw. 

As I leaned over the table, with a quick sleight of hand, I pocketed one of the pieces, unbeknownst to them, and innocently returned to my place on the couch.

I know, I know.  Not my proudest moment.

I have a priest friend that doesn’t buy into the “The devil made me do it” excuse.  He’s often told me that, while the devil is real and does tempt us, our free will makes that excuse, well, inexcusable.

The devil doesn’t actually make us do anything.  We consent to cooperating with him in various ways, but he doesn’t actually force us to act.  We must be accountable for our actions, even if we are prompted to act contrary to how we should.

Lucky for us, when our actions are less than holy, we do have a good remedy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).  Sometimes people are afraid of this sacrament, because it is hard to be humble and admit when we have sinned.

But the priest, in the person of Christ, is not there to chastise us.  He is there to bring us God’s love and God’s mercy.  The priest is there to offer Christ’s forgiveness so that we will be able to grow ever closer to God and become truly free of our sins.

As far as my deceitful action goes, when I saw my husband and daughter start to look on the floor for the last piece, I quickly jumped up and went to the table and showed them the piece I had lifted.  It was all pretty funny—even to them—and we had a good laugh, but when I gave it to them to place in the puzzle, they both threw up their hands in the air and walked away, leaving me standing there with the last, significant piece.

Wasn’t that nice of them, to leave me the last piece to put in?  I am choosing to believe they forgave me, but the odd thing is, I really didn’t feel all that triumphant when I finally placed the last piece in its spot.

It’s kind of puzzling, but I have come to the realization that maybe getting what we want, and being allowed to act on it, isn’t always the best thing for us.

Hmm, maybe God really does know what he’s doing.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net