An Incomplete Puzzle
If you enjoy putting puzzles together, nothing is more frustrating than getting almost done with a one only to find a piece missing. What a letdown! No matter what, that puzzle will always be incomplete. There is no substitute for the missing piece. Even if you were to go and buy the exact same puzzle and get the piece you were missing out for the puzzle you put together, the puzzle you took it from would be incomplete. One piece is indispensable for the complete picture.
Likewise, you have something I need. Without you, my picture is incomplete. Without you, there is a piece missing. If you are reading this, you are a piece of the puzzle that is my life and I yours. With every interaction we have in life, we become a piece of another person’s puzzle. Those pictures combine to create an even bigger picture.
We each have our own puzzles that is our life. Each of our lives also combines with others’ lives to create a larger picture. For the Christian, that is the body of Christ. The absence of any one piece, and the picture is incomplete. The absence of any person, and the whole picture is marred by a gaping hole much like a missing piece stands out in an otherwise completed puzzle.
Assembling the Pieces
A body of believers works the same way as a puzzle. Every individual in the body is a crucial piece of the complete picture. In other words, we’re all integral parts of the body of Christ.
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (2 Corinthians 12:12)
Each part has a specific function. We must avoid thinking we are the most important part, but we also must not think we are unimportant either. Instead of comparing one part to another, each part must fulfill its own purpose and also work together to create a cohesive unit that glorifies Christ.
When a piece of the puzzle is missing in the body of Christ, there is a void that cannot be filled. While that does not mean that the work of Christ won’t ultimately be accomplished, it does mean that it will go forth differently than if that void was filled by the piece created to go in that space.
God created each person to play a role in his will with each role being unique and able to be filled by only one person. If you don’t place yourself into the pile of pieces, you can’t become a part of the puzzle, and the puzzle essentially can never be completed.
Completing the Puzzle
How does this transfer into specific activity? There are three basic steps for helping to complete the puzzle.
- Make sure the edge is complete. This means attending a full-gospel, Bible believing church.
- Organize the middle pieces. Submit to the structure of leadership.
- Work diligently. Get in and row the boat. Commit to being a part of the larger picture.
Life is so much bigger than any one person, but each person plays a part in making life complete. No one has all the pieces alone; we all need each other to complete the puzzle.
Church is a commitment by each of the individual pieces. God will make room for your gifts and talents in the church, but you must make sure you are a willing piece of the puzzle.
Mike Brown
I was literally thinking out of the box on this analogy. what if when you got to the last piece you found it misshapen and it didn’t fit. That would cause more consternation than a missing piece. is that piece a mistake or did we force another piece into a place it did not belong? Sounds like real life for us to force ourselves into place we don’t belong.
Kari Scare
I have seen the wrong piece in a puzzle before. Making sure you're in the right puzzle is key, that's for sure.
Mark Allman
Kari,
What struck me was your statement that we should add ourselves to the pile of pieces. I think it is important that we do not try to figure out where we fit in the puzzle but that we make ourselves available to be used wherever. We don't have to put the puzzle together or really be able to see it all to be an effective part of what is going on. We just have to be willing to place ourselves as you say "in the pile".
Kari Scare
That's definitely the first step… make yourself available and be willing to be used. Imagine if everyone did just that. How much difference would that immediately make?
cycleguy
I preached about this Sunday Kari. We are to restore each other and carry each other's burdens. We are also not to envy others. How can I do the two if have the latter?
Kari Scare
Comparison almost did me in and grabs me all too easily still today. I get caught up too easily in envy if I don't deliberately chose my focus. Thinking in this (the post) way can transform lives, at least it did mine. Restore and carry… transformational.Enter text right here!
Kari Scare
Comparison almost did me in and grabs me all too easily still today. I get caught up too easily in envy if I don't deliberately chose my focus. Thinking in this (the post) way can transform lives, at least it did mine. Restore and carry… transformational.
marymccauley
My mother in law does puzzles and I have seen her very frustrated when a piece is lost or missing. Once she searched for weeks and then found it. It reminded me of the parable of the lost coin.
I once handed out puzzle pieces at the church I served to remind them we were all important in the puzzle of life, in the church and outside.
Indeed if any one of the people who have been in my life were missing my life would be different. We each one impact so many others. I am thankful that you Kari are part of my life's puzzle!
Kari Scare
We definitely could make a cool connection between the Parable of the Lost Coin and lost puzzle pieces. Thanks for pointing that out! My pastor handed out puzzle pieces once too; that's where I got the idea for this post, actually. I tell my kids about the ripple affect of one life on another whenever I get the chance. It's an important concept for them to understand. I'm glad you're a part of mine too, Mary.
marymccauley
thanks.From: notifications@intensedebatemail.comTo: pastormj1@hotmail.comSubject: Kari Scare replied to your comment on You Are a Piece of the Puzzle
jason1scott
I love the diversity of gifts and abilities in the Body of Christ. I don't understand why some want to say this minister or that church is unimportant or wrong because they have a different expression of the Christ (not talking about heresy or anything like that, of course). There's room for everyone's puzzle piece. Good word, Kari! Thank you.
Kari Scare
There aren't any denominations in Heaven, that's for sure. And as long as a church and its pieces preach the full Gospel, who are we to say they don't matter because they do it differently than we do? Thanks for the input, Jason.