A Tavern Puzzle Is A Powerful Lesson
Many years ago while our family was in Nauvoo we stopped by a small country store that had antiques. My wife looked at the homemade clothing, the kids looked at the homemade candy, and I found a display rack with metal Tavern Puzzles.
A Tavern Puzzle is a metal puzzle usually with two solid pieces like rings, rods, chains and other pieces about a foot or less in height. They look like something a blacksmith would have made by twisting the metal and interweaving the chains and rings in such way that it is not readily apparent how to separate them. It is a puzzle traditionally forged by blacksmiths in the 1800’s to amuse friends and generate conversation at country taverns and inns.
Always intrigued by puzzles, I picked up one of these and learned that to solve the puzzle you had to remove the heart from the other parts. So I began.
After about 5 minutes of twisting and turning and pulling and pushing with no success, the owner of the small store came by and said, “Can I help you solve that puzzle?” I said, “No, I’m fine. Thanks.” I kept working on it. The frustration started to mount. I had picked an easy one as I had seen that they had easy, medium, and hard puzzles. But if it was easy, the solution sure wasn’t!
I lost track of what my family was doing as my attention had focused on solving this puzzle. In another five minutes the owner came by again. “Are you sure I can’t help you?” And again I responded, “No, I’m fine, I think.” She smiled and left. Again, no luck and another five minutes passed. She came back and again the same question, but this time my answer was, “Thanks, I’ll figure it out on my own.” But I didn’t. The kids were now coming up to me and saying they wanted to go and I said, “Okay, in a few minutes.” I was determined to solve that blanket-blank puzzle.
After about thirty minutes the owner again came by and asked again with a new twist. After her usual “Can I help you?” she said, “Are you ready now for me to help you?” Always offering to help! Was she mocking me? I couldn’t tell. She seemed sincere and smiled pleasantly. In humility (after all it had been thirty minutes and many offers of help), embarrassment, frustration, and desperation I said “Yes.”
She took the puzzle in her hands and in about three seconds of moving the pieces—they came apart! “No way,” I said. She smiled. I was amazed, appreciative, and disbelieving but thankful for her help. She had me do it, and I was pleased, happy, and satisfied. My feelings of frustration melted away. And my family was overjoyed that we could all now leave the store and move on.
On the long drive back from Nauvoo I thought about that experience with the puzzle and the shopkeeper many times. It finally dawned on me that this experience was like our relationship with God. As we live our lives we encounter problems we cannot figure out or solve ourselves.
Periodically He asks us, in different ways, if we need His help. We say no and continue on, and on—until one day, perhaps even years later we accept God’s invitation to come to Him for help. When we do, we find He can solve our problems quickly and in ways we never could have thought of or imagined on our own.
God and Jesus Christ are ALWAYS there for us. They are waiting patiently for the time when we are ready for them. (DC 43:25)
And then I thought of my family, waiting for me in the shop to solve my puzzle, my problem, so we could move on together as a family to new experiences shared together. So many families have fathers, mothers, or kids who are dealing with problems, puzzles in their lives, on their own; caught up with the pride, the vanity, the egotism, thinking they can solve their own problems—or not even acknowledging they have a problem—while others wait . . . and wait . . . and wait.
I learned a greater truth that day in Nauvoo than just solving a puzzle.
~Brother Bruce Barton
Sciptures
DC 43:25 How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!
Psalms 119:77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.
Isa. 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Jer. 25:3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
Mt. 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jn. 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
1 Ne. 8:15,18 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
2 Ne. 28:32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
3 Ne. 9:14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
3 Ne. 12:20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Ether 4:13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
