Life Principles & Pixel Puzzles
“How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord!
Proverbs 1:7 TLB
Only fools refuse to be taught.”
Pixel puzzles, such as the one shown above, are logic puzzles that use number clues around a grid to create an image. Here are the instructions: Each number clue indicates a group of contiguous squares. Between each group there is at least one empty square. The clues are already in the correct sequence. There is only one correct solution for each puzzle. Puzzles can be solved using logic and the clues provided. There is no guesswork needed.
I think these puzzles are fun, and they’re good for your brain. Since this type of logical thinking strengthens mathematical thinking, I’ve even used them in my college algebra classes before. But recently, I realized that we can learn some spiritual lessons from them as well! I have tied each of these lessons to a “life principle” found in one of my favorite Christian study books: 30 Life Principles: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God by Charles F. Stanley. Don’t worry, we won’t talk about all 30! We’ll just focus on three life principles, which remind me of three things I learned from solving pixel puzzles…
1. Color the Squares You Know You Should Color
The first step in solving a pixel puzzle is to color the squares we know have to be colored. For example, in the puzzle below, the column with a “1” at the top indicates that one of the squares in that column should be colored in, but we don’t know (yet) which one that should be. However, the columns with “5” at the top must have five contiguous (touching) squares colored in. Since there are only 5 squares in each column, we know we must color all of the squares in these two columns. So that’s a good place to start.
This reminds me that although there may be many things about God’s will we don’t understand (yet), there will always be a few things that we do. So that’s a good place to start: Do what you know you should do. God has given instructions in His Word for how He wants us to live, so our first step should be to read it and do what it says. When we do, we will be blessed!
Life Principle: “Obedience always brings blessing.”
“As your Creator and Owner, God knows what is absolutely best for you, and He wants to see it accomplished in your life. . . . whenever you disobey God, you are actually participating in the enemy’s plot to injure you and make you miserable. You are also acting against Christ, rather than with Him. Christ calls you to obedience so that you may enjoy the abundant life that He created you for (see John 10:10).”
Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles
I have learned from experience that God reveals His will to us one step at a time. And He is very patient! If we don’t take the first step, He will wait until we do. I prayed for years for insight about my life, but I didn’t get much because I didn’t obey the first thing God told me to do: Read My Word. It sounds like a no-brainer, right? But I wasn’t doing it, not like I needed to. When I finally made reading and studying the Bible a priority, my faith grew by leaps and bounds, and I was blessed in ways I never thought possible. Since then, He has been leading me step-by-step, making it clear what I need to do. My job is to do it. When I do, I color in a few more squares of His plan for my life, and the big picture begins to take shape!
“He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.'”
Luke 11:28 NIV
2. Cross Out the Squares You Know You Shouldn’t Color
The next step in solving a pixel puzzle is to cross out the squares we know should not be colored. For example, in the puzzle below, we are told that the columns with “X” at the top have no shaded squares. So we can write an “X” in each square to rule them out as potential squares to color in. This is important so that we don’t get confused later. Skipping this step could lead us to make mistakes and ruin the picture.
This reminds me that there are some things God has made clear are off-limits for us. So that’s the next step we can take in learning God’s will for our lives: Don’t do what you know you shouldn’t do. God has a specific plan for each of us, and He will guide us to all the good things He has in store. However, when we try to obtain what we want without God’s guidance, we will not be happy with the results!
Life Principle: “Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.”
“What do you long for? Is it love, wealth, acceptance, stability, prominence, or something else? If you chase after it apart from God’s will, what you’ll find once you achieve your goal will be extremely disappointing and empty. It will burn up and turn to ashes, and it will singe you in the process, as well. Therefore, don’t ignore the alarm signal within you — it is God’s Holy Spirit warning you that you’re about to do something that you will regret.”
Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles
God only wants what’s best for us. So when He tells us not to do something, we would be wise to listen and obey. This can be hard, because we live in a broken world and we are born with a sinful nature. But God does not leave us to fight this battle alone. As Christians, we have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, giving us the strength to overcome any temptations we face. We can choose not to sin. We can choose to put an “X” on any squares that have the potential to lead us astray, and rule them out as options for us. This is important so that we don’t get confused later and make mistakes that ruin the beautiful picture God has in mind for our lives.
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.
Galatians 5:16 NLT
Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.“
3. If You Are Unsure, Wait for More Information
Now that we have colored the squares in the columns with “5” at the top and crossed out the squares in the columns with “X” at the top, we have some useful information as we begin looking at the rows. Looking at the top and bottom rows, we see “1 1 1 1” as the number clue. This means there will be a total of four squares colored in each row, but they will not be touching — there will be at least one empty square separating them. This means that the two colored squares in the top row must have an empty square between them, so we can put an “X” there. The same is true for the bottom row. We have a similar situation in the second and fourth rows: There will be a total of three colored squares in each row, but they must have empty squares between them, so we can put an “X” between the squares we have already colored.
Let’s look back now at the column with the “1” in it. Before, we didn’t know which one of the five squares in that column should be colored. But now, we have put an “X” in four of these squares, leaving only one possibility for the square that should be colored in:
This reminds me that we should not become discouraged when we don’t know what to do. Instead, we should pray and ask God to guide us. He promises us that He will (see Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7, and James 1:5). So that’s the third, and probably most important step, in determining God’s will for our lives: If you are unsure about what to do, wait for more information.
Life Principle: “If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.”
“Perhaps you know how God is leading you in certain areas of your life, and you’re committed to following Him. However, there are other situations that you’re facing in which you have no idea about what to do . . . . Can I truly know what God has planned for my life? Yes you can! God does not hide His will from you.”
Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles
As we discussed above, God leads us one step at a time, and He waits for us to obey what He has already told us before giving us new instructions. So when we are unclear about what God wants us to do (and I find myself in this situation a lot!), it’s important to pray and ask for wisdom. I’ve found that He usually lets me know if I am waiting on Him or if He is waiting on me. God wants us to seek Him, and He wants us to follow His plan for our lives. So He will reveal it to us. But we have to keep our eyes on Him and wait for Him to do so.
Remember the instructions I gave at the top of this post: There is no guesswork needed. When we guess about what we are supposed to do, we may make mistakes that cause us to have to backtrack and start over. Unfortunately, I’ve also been in this situation. God is patient, and He will get us back on track, but we save ourselves a lot of frustration if we will seek His guidance to begin with!
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV
4. Repeat Steps 1-3
Now that we’ve learned the basics, we must keep repeating these steps until the picture is complete:
It will take time and practice to get good at these puzzles, and we must master the simpler ones before moving on to those that are more difficult. The same is true of our spiritual challenges. God gives us many opportunities to learn the lessons He wants to teach us, and He waits for us to master the basics before giving us greater opportunities for growth. The key is not to give up. We’ll never finish the puzzle, or see the picture it will reveal to us, if we quit trying. Even if we have to erase our mistakes and start over many times, God will never give up on us. Never. So let’s keep at it!
“And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”
Galatians 6:9 TLB
This week’s Scripture passages remind us of the lessons we can learn from solving pixel puzzles. Just for fun, I have also included some more puzzles for you at the very end of this post (below the smiley face)! As you work on them, I hope they remind you that wisdom comes from the Lord. He will let us know what He wants us to do and what He wants us NOT to do. We just need to seek Him and wait for Him to reveal His plan for our lives. It’s tough sometimes, but we can’t quit. We’ve got some beautiful pictures to make!
“For wisdom will enter your heart,
Proverbs 2:10 NLT
and knowledge will fill you with joy.”
Click the link below for more pixel puzzles!
References:
- Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
Images:
- All images by me (I don’t claim to have designed all the puzzles myself, but I did not record where I originally found them. So I apologize for being unable to credit their creators.)
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!