Running this morning, I happened to look down and see a lone jigsaw puzzle piece in the street. Pondering its possible origins, I saw another one about 15 feet later. These loose, displaced pieces apparently belong to the same big picture, but they were solo on the asphalt. Alone, those pieces are just trash to be swept up. But put together with other pieces, they make some kind of picture. The pieces have to come together to get the full picture.
We are all like puzzle pieces. Some of are solo on the asphalt. Some are beginning to connect with others. We are all part of a big picture, God's picture.
Unlike jigsaw puzzle pieces, we can find and pursue other connections. We can connect intentionally with others, knowing that there is a big picture, a big story. I wonder what part I have in God's picture, what role I have in his story. As we come together in community, we can see how we fit together; we can see God's big, beautiful picture.
Finding the right pieces, those with whom I am made to connect, is not easy. It takes years. God has to bring us together. Then God has to fit us together. It's mysterious, scary, confusing, challenging, exciting, discouraging, and fun. It is what life is all about.
I want to help those who are solo on the asphalt find their connections, with God and others.
As I find my part in the big picture, I want to be a piece that is on the edge.
