Piece by Piece

I've never been the type of person who likes puzzles. In fact, I don't even remember spending much time as a kid working on them. The problem may have been I didn't sit still along enough to DO a puzzle, but that's a problem to solve for another day. Now however as a dad, I have TWO boys who love puzzles. They are probably just as active as me as a kid, but they enjoy the challenge of linking pieces together. Here's a pic of them from last night working on Micah's NEW hockey puzzle that he got for his birthday.

Even though I don't enjoy puzzles, I can certainly appreciate the finished product. Seeing all those pieces click together I'm sure can make someone feel quite accomplished. They finally see that puzzle as one WHOLE piece instead of 48 or 96 individual pieces.

Looking at life like a puzzle, I believe can also help us out in our walk with God. We each are only one small piece of the billion piece puzzle of the people of our world. AND when we look at our world, we probably feel our individual puzzle piece is BIGGER and more important than the other ones.  In reality, that just isn't the truth.

Each of us is equally loved and important to God. We see such a poignant example of this in the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. (Full Bible Story Here- LOVE the last line) Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders and his disciples when He told this story. Jesus speaks of a man going on a journey between two cities when the man is severely beaten and robbed. This man is left for dead. Two people pass by the man- one is a priest and the other is Levite. Both of these men, based on their conscience and belief in God, SHOULD stop and help this injured man.  But they don't stop. Whatever THEY are doing is more important- or THEY are more important than this injured man- so they pass by without helping. Finally, a third person comes by and STOPS. This person is a Samaritan. Now Samaritans were low class citizens- Jewish people of that time wouldn't even TALK to a Samaritan. This Samartian doesn't owe this Jewish person ANYTHING, there is no real reason he should help him. BUT- the Samaritan saw the Jewish man as valuable to God. The Samaritan bandages the injured man, brings him to an Inn where he can receive care, and he PAYS ahead for any care the injured man may need.

The point Jesus is making in this story is we are all an important piece of the puzzle to God. This is true regardless of our race, religion, gender, or occupation. We are all an intricate puzzle piece of life who God loves AND cherishes.

A line from Charles Dickens famous play "The Christmas Carol" said by Scrooge's nephew in speaking of Christmas sums up my sentiment nicely, "the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

This week, even if you aren't a puzzle person- show some love and respect for the people who are around you. Treat them like fellow passengers on this life WITH You. Just like you, they are a person that God has fearfully and wonderfully made.