Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: PUZZLE (05/28/20)
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TITLE: Better Than Chocolate | Previous Challenge Entry
By Tammy Ortung
06/02/20 -
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“Will you do this puzzle with me?” Logan asks.
“Why don’t you ask your sisters?”
“But I want you to play with me,” he counters, his green eyes earnest.
“Okay.” you say grudgingly. You’ve never been good at puzzles and you wonder if your dread is due to your lack of practice or a fear of failure.
You plop on the floor next to Logan, flip the pieces face up and begin matching sides until all the fragments are assembled in their rightful place. You admire the scene that unfolds. It resembles a collage of seemingly unrelated photos strategically placed to tell a story. A large canyon at sunset marks the background. The bottom of the chasm resembles a garbage dump with mounds of refuse as far as the eye can see. Dark silhouettes shadow the left rim of the canyon, and a glowing, ethereal being stands on the right. A smiling bearded man in billowing white robes peers down at the landscape and at the foot of a large cross that dominates the puzzle, is a wrapped present—it seems out of place.
“What's it mean?” Logan asks.
“Remember when we visited the Grand Canyon last year, how massive it was, and how at night it looked like a dark, endless pit?” At his nod, you continue. “Well, imagine we’re standing on one side, and God is on the other. The mounds at the bottom of the chasm represent all our mistakes and bad choices. These sins pile up and create a gap that separates us from God … But He wanted to be our friend, so He devised the perfect plan.”
“He did?”
“Yes, baby, He did,” you say. “See this huge cross in the middle of the puzzle? Did you notice how the arms extend all the way from the left to the right edges of the canyon? Well, Jesus died on that cross to forgive all our mistakes and provide a bridge between us and God.”
“Why?”
“Because the Bible says that the price of our sins is death. Jesus paid our debt, so we didn’t have to.”
“Why doesn’t the puzzle show Jesus on the cross?”
“That’s the best part of the story … You see this man in white?” you ask, pointing to the hovering figure. “This is Jesus. After He died, He rose again three days later. Then He went to heaven to sit next to God and watch over us until He returns and takes us to live with Him in heaven.”
“Ohhhh.” Logan says. “What’s the present for?”
“It reminds us that all these promises are a free gift from God.”
“They are?”
“Yep,” you say. “Let me put it this way. You know how I give you presents every birthday? Have I ever asked you to give me money for them?”
“Nooooo,” he says giggling.
“That’s 'cause I love you and want to give you something special. That’s how it is with God. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. And there’s nothing we can do to earn it. It’s completely free. God shows us grace and mercy.”
“What’s that?”
“God’s grace is like getting a piece of chocolate every single day. Even when it’s not a special occasion and we didn’t do our chores or anything else to earn it. God just gives it to us because He loves us. His mercy is like getting on Santa’s “nice list” even after we’re mean to our sisters, or we write on the walls with permanent marker, or we get in trouble for talking in church. While we deserve to be put on the “naughty list,” God doesn’t give us what we deserve.”
You watch the myriad of expressions that cross Logan’s face as he ponders your words. Thank you, Lord, for helping me share your story, you pray silently. You’re ashamed over your initial reluctance to do this puzzle. Yet God has proven, once again, that whenever you are weak and inadequate, He is strong.
“Did all that really happen?” Logan finally asks.
“Absolutely,” you say. “Do you want God’s free gift?”
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I do like the way you set the scene of the floor mats. Without saying it, you let the reader know the general age of the child. That was well done!