Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV.
Our lives are comprised of moments and experiences. If I cataloged your life through puzzle pieces, what would some of those portions of time represent?
What if you took one of my life’s puzzle pieces and tried to replace it with parts of your story? You may think, “That would be great! I’ll take all of your happy memories and I will replace them with the fragments of time I would like to forget.” While that sounds tempting, but my experiences would never fit your story. And vice versa.
The complexity of your experiences could never be an adequate substitute in my life. And, yet, I have longed for other people’s lives; their families, talents, ministries, and even their wardrobe – far too many times.
CRUMPLED Paper
As a child, I was extremely meticulous. I remember making a mistake with my homework and instead of crossing a line through the error (like my friends or normal people did) I would crumple up the paper and start all over again. Some nights I would have a pile of fifteen crumpled up pieces of paper in the corner of my room that I would have to throw away.
As I grew up I began to view my worth the same way as a misspelled word on a page. I wanted to throw portions of my life away. I would feel battered and defeated, wondering why God still loved me. Depression would overwhelm me as I realized certain pages from my life’s story couldn’t be crumpled up and thrown away.
That, my friend, is the beauty of our amazing God. Even though there are pieces of your life that are less than satisfactory in your eyes, God looks at those moments and is in the process of designing a masterpiece.
Yes, that was a terrible memory, but God can use you to minister to someone. Yes, you sinned, but God will validate His ardent love through His forgiveness and mercy. Yes, that piece of time crushed you, but God will now gift you with a greater anointing.
You’re A Masterpiece
Do you know what the most frustrating thing about putting a puzzle together? It is when you get to the end and you have the unfortunate realization that you are a missing a piece.
I have seen people finish their puzzle and then frame their masterpiece and hang it on the wall – BUT – I have NEVER seen anyone hang an unfinished, missing-some-pieces puzzle on the wall. Why would our relationship with God be any different? You are His masterpiece and He requires every piece of your life.
Stuff of Legend
Your failings are craved by a hurting world who long to hear what God can do with a broken life. Your dreams are the stuff of legend. Your laugh is an infectious sound that gifts joy to people who are grieving.
When all you see is sin on certain pieces of your life, look a little closer and you will see the blood of Jesus that covers that moment in time.
Today, as you add to your life’s masterpiece, remember that every one of your crazy, wild, and beautiful puzzle pieces are significant and necessary to complete the perfect will of God.
3 Comments
This is so good!
Thank you for your kind words. I’m thankful this devotion spoke to you.
When I asked for wholeness, I began to think I had opened old wounds. But, I realized that just like in physical healing of a wound, all of the bad infectious part must come out. In fact, fresh deep physical wounds are often left open to heal from the inside out. Although painful, I’m still asking to be whole!