We are jigsaw puzzle pieces. Protuberances and gaps. Funny-looking. Unsightly. Apparently futile and useless. And hopeless. Lost under the sofa. Separated from the rest of the pieces.
Sometimes recovery is presented as a way of getting rid of all of those protuberances and gaps. Rounding everything off, so we're all defect-free. And, since that's clearly impossible (still spotting those protuberances and gaps?), recovery is not possible.
The purpose of jigsaw puzzle pieces is to be fitted into the jigsaw. Your surpluses match other people's deficits. Perfectly interlocked!
"Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us." (p. 77, 'Alcoholics Anonymous')
My only problem is resistance to being fitted into the jigsaw puzzle, because I am frightened I will lose my identity. The truth is, my identity is there precisely to be fitted to fulfil a greater purpose.
Once the jigsaw is complete, and we are fully interlocked with the world around us, the protuberances and gaps, the surpluses and the deficits, vanish, and the full picture is revealed, a picture that could not have been discerned from examining each piece individually.
The brokenness is still there, but invisible in perspective. That's the promise of recovery. Recovery is possible, connectedness is possible, healing is possible. Not despite our defects. Because of them.
Sometimes recovery is presented as a way of getting rid of all of those protuberances and gaps. Rounding everything off, so we're all defect-free. And, since that's clearly impossible (still spotting those protuberances and gaps?), recovery is not possible.
The purpose of jigsaw puzzle pieces is to be fitted into the jigsaw. Your surpluses match other people's deficits. Perfectly interlocked!
"Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us." (p. 77, 'Alcoholics Anonymous')
My only problem is resistance to being fitted into the jigsaw puzzle, because I am frightened I will lose my identity. The truth is, my identity is there precisely to be fitted to fulfil a greater purpose.
Once the jigsaw is complete, and we are fully interlocked with the world around us, the protuberances and gaps, the surpluses and the deficits, vanish, and the full picture is revealed, a picture that could not have been discerned from examining each piece individually.
The brokenness is still there, but invisible in perspective. That's the promise of recovery. Recovery is possible, connectedness is possible, healing is possible. Not despite our defects. Because of them.