“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Psalm 133:1

My mom and I used to watch T.V. as a time to be together, but now there is so much filth on, that you can’t even watch a commercial without hearing foul language or seeing homosexuality. We decided we had to find a new way to have togetherness time. Therefore, we started a new hobby… puzzles. Man, once you finish your first puzzle, you are hooked. Sometimes we stay up until super late just to find “that one more piece.” We have come to love it.

The Lord kept giving me nudges to write a blog about how the puzzle pieces parallel the Christians that make up the body of Christ. So here I go….. Let’s get into the mind of puzzle pieces. Ok, Ok.. it takes a lot of imagination, but just hang in there with me.

Puzzle Piece #1- Why do I have to be a background piece? All I am is pure white. I wish I had the vibrant colors of the other pieces. No one is ever going to notice me.

Puzzle Piece #2- Why do I stand out so much? I would rather be in the background where I just blend in.

Puzzle Piece #3- Man, this piece next to me is really rubbing me the wrong way! I wish I could move somewhere else where my neighbor has smoother sides.

Puzzle Piece #4- Why do I have to be in a puzzle where the one putting it together gets to choose where I go? I would do better choosing my own spot. Actually I would be better just being a piece that doesn’t connect with any other piece.

Puzzle Piece #5- I don’t see anywhere where I fit in. There are so many other better pieces. How could a plain piece like me have a place in this beautiful picture?

My friend, I hope that you can see how many times we, as part of the body of Christ, have the same thoughts and feelings. Let’s break it down piece by piece 😉

Christian #1- Why do I have to have a ministry that is not really noticeable. Sara gets to sing, Paula gets to preach, Yolanda gets to be a youth group leader and and William gets to be on the worship team. Here I am cleaning the bathrooms. Who is ever going to appreciate that. No one ever is going to see me doing this.

Christians #2- Why do I stand out so much? I wish I could just blend in with the crowd. Everyone is looking at me and I feel they are going to find out that I am not perfect at what I do.

Christian #3- Man this person in the church is really irritating me. They are rough around the edges and they are poking me on every side. Let’s just say, the best of me does not come out when I’m around them. I’m going to move somewhere else so that I don’t have to deal with ‘Poky” people.

Christian #4- Why does God have to choose where I am put. I know myself, and I would be much better off choosing my own place. Actually, I will just worship on my own out in nature. There I will find quietness and serenity.

Christian #5- I am such a failure compared to these other Christians. They are so much farther in their faith. They never fall down in the Christian race. I am constantly tripping up. They have a beautiful testimony and mine is so average. I will never catch up with them and I don’t deserve to be in their circle. I just don’t have a place where I feel like I fit in.

I think we all have felt at least one of these things, if not more. The church of God is truly like a puzzle. We are not always chosen for the limelight; some of us are given background jobs. We may be asked to do something outside of our comfort zone where others are looking on. There are going to be people in the church who irritate us in some way or another. Others may not share any of our interests. You may look at a brother or sister and see how far along they are in their walk with Christ, and feel like you can never attain that in your life. They are super power saints and you are just the average person with no real gifts.

The creator of the puzzle has chosen where every piece is to go and how they fit into the picture. Jesus is our Creator and the one who gets to choose where we are put. If we kick against Him and try and be someone else or something else, the whole church will be thrown off. You see every one of us is serving a special purpose, even if we are just someone who comes and serves Christ in what they think is just an average thing. You may not be chosen first, but many times it is the last piece that completes the beautiful picture.

So, let’s stay in the spot that Jesus has chosen for us, knowing that each individual plays a part in His body. No one is more special to the Lord than anyone else. If we all work together and support each other in love, then we will show the world a beautiful picture of what the Christian life can be, and the power of unity in Jesus name.