Puzzle Pieces
Have you ever put a puzzle together? If so, you start out with the easy ones in childhood, you learn to see shapes and connect pieces together. Then as you grow up, you graduate to more complicated puzzles. The pieces are smaller and the number of them can reach one thousand or more. These can take a long time to put together and I know some people work on them for years as a hobby or as something to do with friends and family.
Yet, in many ways our lives are like puzzles.
We try to find where we fit and who we connect with the best. There are moments where this is easy and then there’s other times that it’s complicated and it can take years to navigate. Have you been there? If you think about it most of us are navigating our individual piece in relationship to others. The idea of fitting in and being a part of something bigger than ourselves is inherent and it’s needed to thrive. Yet, the challenges of fitting together with others can be overwhelming, so it’s a tension we face through life.
At best the puzzle pieces of our lives are a dichotomy giving us both great and tough moments. This is a part of doing life as we seek to put the pieces together. Therefore, we must be intentional with others as we do life with them, because an isolated place will not produce purpose and legacy. We must stay plugged in to the truth that we need others and they need us. We were made to fit like a puzzle, building a picture that God has set in motion for our lives. It’s in this picture we have both purpose and legacy for years to come. It’s in this picture we have impact far greater than we know. It’s in this picture that we’re healed and become who He made us to be. Yes, our purpose is linked to others which is why we must solve the puzzle pieces of our lives.
“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Ephesians 4:16
Notice that we fit together perfectly in the body of Christ. We were made to be linked together through Jesus and each of us has a part to play. Also notice, that we help each other be healthy, grow and be full of love. This comes when our puzzle pieces are linked with others. This is huge for our lives and yet this whole idea challenges the very fabric of who we are. We’re tempted to be independent to the point of not needing others but we will always need others. Jesus has created His church to be the greatest movement that’s ever been and in it we have a place to fit in and grow. We can be more than ever imagined when the Puzzle Pieces fit!
Where is your puzzle piece today?
It’s my hope you are a part of a community that is serving Jesus and growing together. Yet we must remember that this process will not always be fun or enjoyable. At times we think that hardships and differences are the enemy against us, when sometimes it’s God working out things in us. Finding the place where we fit requires humility and intentionality. Our part is to embrace the process that is set in motion with the puzzle pieces of our lives and this includes being a part of something bigger than ourselves.
I believe this is why the enemy wrecks havoc on relationships as he’s the author of division, lies and more. His plot is to divide and isolate when God’s agenda is to unite and heal. Because of this, we’re made a part of a puzzle and our piece fits beyond what we know.
Will you allow your puzzle piece to fit in?
I encourage you to lay down your resistance and to set aside your distractions. This is your time to move forward in purpose and in fulfillment. This is your time to fit in through a movement that will impact eternity. This is the Church of Jesus and in it you have a place.
I ask you to move forward one step at a time. Allow your puzzle piece to fit with others and see what God can do. No matter your past and no matter your present, God’s future for you is brighter than you know. Move forward and be a part of what Jesus is doing.
Have a great week! You were made to fit.
PD
