Discipleship

The Jigsaw Puzzle of God

By September 16, 2019 March 31st, 2020 No Comments

I enjoy working a jigsaw puzzle. There is always a method to solving. I start with the outer edges, the border pieces and work inward. It takes time to find where all the pieces fit. I leave it out on the dining room table and come back often to work on it. It is there working on a puzzle with the pieces spread out in no particular order,  I see the similarities to the body of Christ. Let me explain. 

Several years ago I found myself between churches. I began to pray, seeking God’s divine direction.  I asked the Lord to send me somewhere where I would be needed. After much prayer, the Lord led me to a church.  I felt this was where the Lord would plant me. However, to look at things in the natural, all I saw were people with similar gifts, similar calling. It didn’t make sense, it didn’t look like I was needed at all. The Lord began to speak to me, wait, though it tarries, wait for it. He began to speak to me of the jigsaw puzzle. I couldn’t see the plan He had for this body, for not all the pieces were in place. It takes time to fit them in.  I needed to wait for the other pieces to come together before I could see just where I fit. 

I consulate the picture to help locate where a particular piece fits, it is difficult to finish without referring to it. It’s like a guide, a master plan. The bible is God’s guide, His master plan for our lives. We need to refer to Him often. 

There are parts to each puzzle piece that either sticks out or form a space, some have both. These are the parts that form bonds with their surrounding pieces, without such things pieces can easily distort, shift or displace position, affecting the whole puzzle.  The way a piece fits into another, fills gaps in the other piece or vice versa. It is like that with the body of Christ. No one has it all, if we did, we wouldn’t need each other. But it is this lack, which bonds us together. I am weak in an area, you are strong, together we are stronger. 

All pieces are unique, they look similar, same shape, size, coloring but there is only one placement for each piece for the puzzle to make sense. We are all unique. We may have similar backgrounds, gifts and callings  but there is only one you and no one can take your place. You are needed. There would be a hole, a space where you should be without you. It takes every piece coming together to make the picture whole, so it is with the body of Christ. It takes each one of us, taking our place, filling the need, utilizing our gifts to complete the picture of Christ. 

Have you found your place in the body? In the church?

  • Ephesians 4:16
  • Romans 12:5
  • Ephesians 5:30

I would love to hear from you, leave a comment or you can email at [email protected]

Rev. Denise Much