The Christmas Puzzle
Bob: The Man
Billy: His Eleven Year Old Son
“Bob, honey, please go get the Christmas tree. It is almost Christmas and the children are anxious to decorate it”, Bob’s wife looked at him pleadingly. “Yes, Daddy, Let’s go get it. You have been saying for days that we would go get it”, Bob’s eleven year old son, Billy, piped up impatiently.
That remark did it! It hit him the wrong way. “Can’t a man get any peace and quiet around his own house? All I hear is, ‘Let’s get the tree, let’s get the tree’. He got up from the couch, slung his magazine on the floor and bellowed out, “So, let’s get the tree, now. Right now! I’ve heard about all I want to about a tree, about Christmas or anything else. Let’s go get it so I can get some rest”. Billy got up, ran and got the saw, and joined his daddy at the truck and off they went toward the hill where the big fir trees grew.
Billy chattered pleasantly on the way. His dad drove along mumbling something every now and then. Billy knew his dad was still angry, but Billy was trying to create a more pleasant atmosphere.
When they reached the hill where the fir trees grew Bob stopped the truck almost at the top. Bob and Billy got out and began searching for a nice tree. “Billy, you go one way and I’ll go another way. Then when we find a tree we like, we will call each other to come see it”. Bob knew it would take Billy a long time to select the tree. He planned to make a quick selection, but it, get back home and put it on a stand and get it over with. Billy ran happily about looking for a tree, while Bob started off in the opposite direction. Right on top of the hill, Bob saw a tree that he figured would be all right. He would go saw it down, tell Billy to come on and they would be on their way back home. On the other side of the hill was a deep ravine with jagged rocks protruding from its sides. A small stream ran at the bottom of the ravine.
Bob looked at the tree he had chosen and decided that it would be best for him to saw the tree from the side next to the ravine. With the saw in his hand, he stepped around the tree, onto one of the protruding rocks at the top of the cliff, bent down and began sawing down the tree.
A few moments had passed when he felt the rock give way from the cliff. He grabbed for something to hold onto, but missed. He found himself falling through mid-air straight toward the big boulders at the bottom of the ravine. “B-I-L-L-L-L-Y B-I-L-L-L-L-Y” he screamed! Then he felt one sharp pain throughout his body…and then,…then he was sitting at a table looking at a child’s wooden puzzle. At the top of the puzzle was written, “Select the letters to spell Christmas and learn what it is all about”. Why should he work this stupid puzzle? He knew all about Christmas, the worry, the rushing, the money wasted, the visiting with his mother-in-law. But, oh well, he may as well do it, there was nothing else to do!
There were several of each of the letters that spell “Christmas” dancing around on the table. Several “C’s”, several “H’s”, several “R’s”, etc. “This is silly”, he said to himself. “I’ll grab one letter of each of those that spell out “Christmas” and put them into the puzzle and I’ll have it made.
He reach for a “C”. “Candy” was written on this “C”. “This ‘C’ will do fine. We always have candy at Christmas time.” He tried to place it into the slot of the wooden puzzle, but it did not fit. So he reached for another “C”. It’s name was “Confusion”. Surely this one would fit. There is certainly enough confusion going on at Christmas time. With all the hustle and bustle. However, it did not fit. Then he reached for another “C”. It’s name was “Cooking”. Now with all the cooking going on this one must fit. However, it did not. The next one he reached for said “Christ”. Needless to say it fit perfectly. In the background he heard these words of 1 John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.
Then came the “H’s”. There was “Hurry”. It seemed that all the household was always hurrying around to get ready for Christmas. There was “Hysteria”, and “Hate”. He hated all the fuss that went on about Christmas time and sometimes he thought the whole world had become hysterical. But none of these “H’s” fit into the puzzle. He picked up the last “H”. There was no problem with it because on it was written “Holy”. Again in the background, he heard these words from 1st Peter 1:15 and 16, “But as he which hath called you is Holy, so be ye Holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written – be you Holy; for I am Holy.”
Now the “R’s” came skipping in front of him. There were “Revenge”, “Rush”, and “Rebellion”. There were many more. He was reading what was on them as they skipped by. There were so many that Bob decided just to reach for one of them and see if it would fit. The one he just happened to pick up fit perfectly! “What! Did I get the right one after all?” He picked it up from the puzzle and read what was written on it. It was “Resurrection”. And in the background he heard these words from John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
By the time that the “I’s” came prancing across the table toward him, Bob was beginning to understand a little of what this Christmas puzzle was all about. But there they were, the “I’s”, hopping up and down in front of him. “Injury”, “Ill-mannered”, “Icicles”, “Idol”, and others. Each one want to be Bob’s choice. “What this? Here is an I with nothing written on it.” It was standing straight and firm and seemed to be sending a silent message to Bob that this is the “I” he must choose. He picked it up and it fell into place on the puzzle. In the background Bob heard John 14:16, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
There were so many “S’s” running around on the table. There was “Spite”, “Shopping”, “Stocking” and even “Satan” along with others. Bob was thoroughly confused by now. Yet he knew he did not want any of these “S’s” in his Christmas puzzle. AS he looked again he saw the “S” with “Son” written on it. He picked it up and fit it into the puzzle. Then he heard in the background John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Bob’s puzzle was beginning to shape up. Here came the “T’s” and he must select one out of so many. There was “Tinsel”, “Tree”, “Turkey” and “Trimmings”, “Toys” and others. They all seemed ok to him but not any of them exactly fit. Even though some went into the puzzle slit, they were either too short, too narrow, too thin, or too thick. They left an empty space that needed to be filled. Then he tried the “T” which was “Truth” and it fit just as it should. In the background he heard John 1:14 and John 8:32, “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and Truth. And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free.”
As Bob reached for an “M”, he thought for a fleeting moment that he saw a doctor and a nurse bending over him. Then he was back again trying to solve his Christmas puzzle.
As, with the other letters, there were many “M’s”. But two “M’s” felt sure he would choose them. Each was competing with the other to get Bob’s attention. They were “Money” and “Mistletoe”. Either would be good. It always takes money, and mistletoe would be fun. Of the two Bob was about to choose “Money” when he noticed one “M” standing very calmly, innocent, and beautiful. He chose this one. It was “Mary”. It fell into place and in the background he heard Luke 1:30 and 31, “And the Angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou has found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.”
Next came the “A’s”. The “A” with “Anger” written on it came skipping across the table. He realized it would not fit this puzzle. Neither would the “A” with aggravation on it. He was no longer angry or aggravated. This puzzle had suddenly become his personal puzzle. Why was he no longer angry? Why did this child’s puzzle hold such a fascination for him? Was his outlook on life and how he should live it beginning to change? What was coming over him? Then he picked up the “A” that he knew would fit. It had “Angel” written on it and it went right into place. Then he heard Luke 1:38, “And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it unto me according to thy word. And the Angel departed from her.”
He had only one more letter of his puzzle to put into place. Then it would be complete. Maybe he would better understand his mixed-up feelings. He should not have been so impatient with Billy. He should have shown more love and consideration for Billy and his wife. He did love them very much. He was unhappy and confused. “Well, go ahead and finish the puzzle”, he told himself and “Let’s see what happens.” There were several “S’s” skipping around on the table chirping, “Take me, take me”. Bob read their names as they danced around. There was “Sin”, “Shame”, “Sharp-tongue” and others. Bob wanted no more of those. He was sorry that any of those were ever in his life. He wanted them out. Even when “Sparkle” and “Smell of Christmas” danced by, Bob knew that they were not exactly right. They were not what he needed. And then, apart from the other “S’s”, Bob saw a very strong, beautiful and inviting “S”. He seemed drawn to it. He read “Saviour” on it. “Saviour? Saviour. Yes, you are what I need. You are what I want. Please forgive me for my sins, come to me, into my puzzle of life and make my life complete.” The piece fell into place.
He heard 1 John 4:14, “And we have seen ad do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” And Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.”
Bob was fully conscious now. He lay there with his eyes closed, absorbing the full peace that came upon him. He realized that “The” saviour was now “His” saviour too. All he had to do was to accept Him and believe, which he did. He finally had realized what Christmas was all about. It was the celebration of the birth of “His” saviour. He opened his eyes, smiled at his wife, looked around the hospital room and smiled at the nurse and the doctor. He looked at Billy and smiled. He realized it had been Billy reading to him from the Bible. “Billy, will you pleased read the entire Christmas story to me now?”
“Sure I will, Dad.” So Billy read the Christmas story from Like 2:1-14,
When Billy had finished the story Bob said, “Merry Christmas, Billy, Merry Christmas, All of you…And may God bless all of us”.