By Andrea Guachalla
Have you ever tried to solve one of those cubes and almost throw it out of the window in frustration? I have.
You barely aim to build one color up, and then when you try to solve the other one, all the colors get mixed, and you have a messy cube again!
However the colors, the difficulty of solving it, and the tricks that you learn along the way, certainly have something to teach you.
But before we go there, let me tell you a few obvious things (or maybe not so obvious) about the Rubik’s Cube and how to solve it:
o The cube has 6 colors
o To solve it you start with one color and then solve it by layers
o You fail again and again and that drives you nuts
o To solve the last layer you have to mix all of the cube again
o Solving it gives you a small sense of accomplishment
Doesn’t that sound weirdly familiar? Doesn’t it sound like… life? Maybe like taking challenges and growing?
If you think it does, we are on the same train my friend!
And if you don’t think so, let’s throw some light on it.
Colors and dimensions
The cube has three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow), two secondary colors (orange and green), and white, which are comparable to the six “colors” that compose our lives.
We are human beings, and the Bible says that we are not only material but also immaterial, we are body and spirit.
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 2:7, King James Version
The Bible teaches us that whereas we are physically humans and all that that entails (we need food, physical activity, we get sick, etc), the bible also says that the body of those who are his children are also the temples of the Holy Spirit.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16, English Standard Version
In life, we see how our physical being is closely connected or even dependent on health, the financial dimension of our lives, and the artistic dimension of it too. Whereas our spirit is closely connected to what the bible refers to as the heart and the mind.
Even though in this article I will be focusing in the first dimension/color of life as the foundation for solving the cube/growing, I will here mention all the six colors/dimensions as an illustration:
So we have:
o Blue, the spirit, which represents the spiritual dimension
o White, the mind, representing the intellectual dimension
o Red, the heart, portraying the emotional dimension
o Green, the body, the physical dimension
o Yellow, earnings, the financial dimension
o And orange, the gifts and talents, representing the artistic dimension
For the past couple of years I’ve found that being more aware of the fact that we, as humans, are spiritual beings as well as physical beings and dividing my practical life into these six dimensions has led me to be more productive and organized.
However, that doesn’t mean that I focus on all of them all the time. So, how do we start? The same way you start solving a Rubik’s Cube:
Focusing on one color
Blue.
There is something beautiful about that color, don’t you think? I don’t know if it’s because of how the sky reflects on the ocean making it look like a dark, dark blue, or that it portrays different things for every culture. But I don’t wonder on why Yves Klein once wrote:
“What is blue? Blue is the invisible becoming visible… Blue has no dimensions. It is beyond the dimensions of which other colors partake.”
Why are we focusing on blue specifically?
Well, you know that in order to solve the whole cube, first you need to prioritize one color and put it in order. Focusing on one of the colors is what will bring all the rest to their right place in the end. You can choose whichever seems more appealing to you because it’s just a game. Focusing on one or another will have the same result.
However, when we are talking about our lives and its different dimensions, we cannot choose randomly. We ought to choose BLUE, always. “The dimension beyond dimensions.” Our spiritual life ought to be a priority no matter what because focusing on it and actively asking God to help us grow in that area and praying for wisdom and his guidance is what will bring the rest to its right place.
God and our spiritual life is the foundation of everything, therefore blue is the baseline, blue is God shaping us in the likeness of Christ and allowing us to actively reflect our savior in all the other “colors” of our life.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
Matthew 16:26, English Standard Version
Interestingly, once the first color is in order, the rest (except for the last layer) can be almost simultaneously solved without much effort, because by solving the top, the next three layers already start to fall into place.
Nevertheless, when you start solving the first and second layer of the cube you realize that you don’t have another option but…
Persevere and endure!
Trying to solve each color-dimension brings its own difficulties. You fail one time, two times, ten times, dozens of times!
But in the process you learn to embrace the difficulties and overcome them, even if you often feel like you will never aim to solve it. Even if you get discouraged quickly, and that makes you want to leave the cube on a shelf and just let it be.
It’s exactly the same in our lives. We don’t have all things figured out at all. We are lifelong learners. If we depend on our own strength we are pretty much lost in everything we do, but if we ask the Lord he is good and wise and helps us endure and persevere. We as finite, imperfect creatures might fail, but the Lord never fails. If we ask wholeheartedly he gives us the ability to apply what he teaches us in his Word, and through it teaches us to be good stewards of our bodies, our wealth, and our talents and gifts.
“For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13, Amplified Bible
All the other 5 dimensions start falling into place as we persevere and endure life with God giving us strength, knowing that the Holy Spirit is guiding us and that our loving savior Jesus Christ understands and walks with us through the valleys and the sunrises.
The path might seem complicated and difficult, and that’s ok. It means that we are…
Learning shortcuts and growing
No matter how good you think you are at something, there is always room for improvement, and it’s the same with solving that colorful cube. You may practice and learn how to solve it in 30 minutes, and then practice more and do it in half the time. You learn shortcuts and definitely get better at it with time if you are disciplined.
But here is an important note: It is not that the cube is suddenly easier to solve, or that the mechanism changes. The mechanism is the same and all the six colors are still there. What changes are your interaction with it and your reaction to the difficulty it represents in order to get the final result. It is you who learn to solve it better and faster.
The same way in life, it is not that situations change or that the difficulties turn more bearable, it is not that from one day to the other you have more or fewer dimensions to take care of. It is your reaction to all of that, it is about how much you depend on God and let him guide you in the face of challenges, difficulties, and the harshness of life.
You learn to lay down your life, concerns, and desires more quickly to God whenever you feel like you want to take control of it. You learn to forgive without grumbling, you confess your sins and repent wholeheartedly, you learn to love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is not easier to love sacrificially, it is not easier to forgive, nothing gets easier for us human beings, it is that God works in you and through you that makes you more like Christ and enables you to love:
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”
Philippians 1:6, English Standard Version
God is working in you and through you even…
When the colors mix up
By the time you get to the last layer of the cube you know, it’s the turning point between solving it and succeeding or ruining it completely! Because… In order to solve the last pieces of the bottom layer you have to follow a sequence of moves that will actually make it look completely messy. But this messy look is what will take you one step further in accomplishing the goal.
Whenever I’m solving the bottom layer of the cube my nephew yells at me:
“What are you doing!? You’re mixing everything!”
“It’s necessary,” I tell him.
Sometimes we undergo difficulties that mix everything, all six dimensions of our lives! Difficulties make your spirit waver, and your heart tremble. Situations that make your mind troubled, your body weaker, and it makes it seems that your wealth and gifts are of no use at all.
It almost seems that there is no way back to your once harmonious life.
But one thing you must know. If by the hand of God, you endure it and persevere, the colors will come to the right place, you will be one step closer to the goal: Be more like Christ.
When you are able to look back and see all the difficulties you endured and realize how God was with you all the time you are finally able to…
Enjoy the growth that it brought
No matter how young or advanced in years you are, if you ever get to solve a Rubik’s cube you will have a weird sense of accomplishment. As if you had discovered the cure to a disease or deciphered the equation that will take NASA to Mars. With time you realize that you don’t take half an hour anymore, but maybe a couple of minutes.
With time you notice that it is not so hard to let God guide you and therefore be wise in all areas of your life. Even when the colors seem completely mixed, it is not so hard to find the way back to what it was or to find a better way to put colors into place, because God is giving you a peaceful, joyful heart throughout the process. Your foundation is firm.
You don’t have that temporal sense of satisfaction that solving the cube would bring, but an everlasting joy and gratitude towards God that overflows your heart. You thank God’s mercy and faithfulness, for his Word and the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and you are grateful for your savior Jesuschrist.
Loving God above everything else will lead you to prioritize your relationship with him, and your spiritual growth as the foundation of your life. In the end this will make you wiser and more intentional in the emotional, intellectual, physical, financial and artistic dimensions, and lead you to use all of them for the glory of God.
This is the first article in a series that will address the different dimensions of life. Stay tuned for the coming ones!
I like such a structured way that you described life. Though life is more complicated in reality, a simplified categorical illustration could help us to identify the priorities.
I agree with you, the spiritual dimension of life should be the first focus. In fact, the spiritual dimension is also the foundation of other dimensions, such as the intellectual dimension, the emotional dimension, and the physical dimension. The spiritual dimension defines the existence of human beings. Especially because we’re created in the image of God, who exist beyond time and space, there’s an inner longing deep in each human being’s mind toward eternity and final reasons. The answer to such metaphysical questions produces values and morals, which furthers affects emotion, behavior, aesthetic sense, and the way of thinking. When this fundamental dimension is distorted, the other dimensions of life will consequently become chaotic; but when this fundamental dimension turns in accordance with its creating purpose, the other dimensions of life, though the challenges stay, will work together for the final benefit according to the creating purpose.
“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8: 27-28
I love this: “when this fundamental dimension turns in accordance with its creating purpose, the other dimensions of life, though the challenges stay, will work together for the final benefit according to the creating purpose.” Thanks for sharing, Haimiao!
Andrea, I love this analogy and illustration! It was a convicting post, causing me to reflect what I prioritize (needing to focus on my relationship with Christ) and how that impacts areas of life!
Thank you Theron!