by Pastor Douglas Brauenr
Fitting in
There is a fun pastime that my family enjoys, along with millions of other people across the world: Completing puzzles! I bet you have a puzzle somewhere in your home right now. Even as a child, I enjoyed the process of dumping the pieces out of the box, setting the box to the side so I could see the image and go about assembling.
The benefits of doing puzzles is all about a cognitive workout for your brain. It makes you look from different perspectives, to problem solve and to be patient. It can drive you crazy too! I try to flip all pieces face-up, then put the border pieces off to the side, and sort the remaining items into colors.
How about you? Are you the kind of person that builds the border first? Or are you an island builder trying to complete chunks at a time? I bet you have your own strategy and it may or may not involve letting other people in the house complete it for you!
Our image for consideration today is a puzzle of the Eiffel Tower that is nearing completion. It reminds me of Ephesians 2, where we read,
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit”.
Ephesians 2:19-22 English Standard Version
While puzzles can be fun, it isn’t very fun when you feel like there is no place where you fit in. It is no fun when you feel like you can’t see the big picture, much less actually get there. This Bible passage reminds us that we DO have a way that we fit into God’s family! We have a spot where we belong, where we are valued, where we are loved!
I mentioned that building puzzles makes you look from different perspectives, to problem solve and to be patient. I would encourage you to take your faith walk with God in the same spirit: Try to see things differently in the light of Christ, be patient and know that God has placed amazing people and opportunities in your life and has given you the ability and resources to succeed!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
