Embracing a Childlike Mindset to Unlock Creativity and Find Clarity

Pablo Picasso once remarked, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” My dear friend and colleague from Poland, Magdalena, who works with children, believes that reconnecting with a child's mindset can enhance the creative process and help in recognizing answers to prayers through relaxed contemplation. She observes the clues while working on jigsaw puzzles and recalls numerous instances where she discovered valuable insights in unexpected ways. Today, Magdalena shares some insights into the answers to prayers and life lessons she has learned by engaging with jigsaw puzzles like a child. Here is what she shared:

Puzzles can be a welcome escape from everyday life and a time for relaxation. But they can also be a time for reflection on daily struggles. While piecing together puzzles, I gained valuable insights about relationships and setting boundaries, focusing on goals, having the right perspective, and receiving the right kind of help. I never would have thought that God would draw my attention to so many valuable lessons while putting a puzzle together.

When I start putting a puzzle together, I usually focus on the frame, the outline of the puzzle. This is a reminder of how important boundaries are, and sticking to them makes it much easier to function.

Finding puzzle pieces that are part of the frame takes a long time, and it's easy to get distracted. At that point, you can miss a piece of the puzzle that's part of the frame. This means you'll have to repeat the process of reviewing all the pieces from the beginning. This taught me that in life, when you repeat the processes, encouragement is found in staying focused on God's goals.

When putting together a puzzle several times, standing up and looking at it from a distance makes it much easier to fit specific pieces together. Looking at the bigger picture in life from a distance helps you see challenges from different perspectives.

It's easy to lose patience with large and difficult puzzles. When you're close to the end, you might feel like giving up and not finishing the whole picture. While putting together one of my most challenging puzzles, I received help and guidance.

Thanks to this childish task, I managed to finish something that seemed very difficult and arduous in life very quickly and with great ease. Perhaps God has sent into your life too someone who will encourage you and help you when you feel like giving up.

At one point, I was even inspired to buy and put together a puzzle with a family member. This task helped us rebuild our relationship.

Here are couple of questions that might help you find guidance you need for today:

What advice does God offer you?

Can you do anything without God's help and support? Looking at the individual pieces, I often wondered if they even fit together. I was certain I couldn't put them together on my own and needed help.

Do you also feel inspired to try assembling a puzzle and learn something in the process?

Magdalena S.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." - Psalms 32:8 NIV