The Missing Piece

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. -1 Cor. 12:27

I like to do puzzles. In fact, I’m the type that can’t walk past an unfinished puzzle without trying to fit at least a piece or two. Imagine 1,500 pieces! Now, I know it’s not the world’s largest puzzle, but since those pieces were dumped on the dining table during Owen’s winter break it has provided plenty of distraction.

Piece by piece the image is taking shape, and as it comes into focus, I am becoming more and more certain of one thing… there is a piece missing! Right there. Smack dab in the middle of a beautiful mirroring lake there is a void. Amid the watery blue resides an empty space. The more the image comes together, the more that void stands out. And the more I work on the puzzle, the more I focus on that missing piece and how its absence is distracting from the beauty of the total image. I find it bothersome knowing the puzzle will never be whole.

Like Paul’s analogy of the body, that puzzle piece represents a member of a larger body. It is its own unique being. No other piece is quite like it; and it can happily exist on its own. But its true self is discovered in the presence of all the other pieces and the way in which they are interdependent on one another. The great image isn’t fully revealed unless all the pieces come together.

God created humankind in their image, the imago dei. We often consider what this means for the individual but what might the idea of imago dei mean for the whole of humanity? What does it mean that the Christ who came to save you, in fact, came to reconcile all of Creation? And how might this impact the way we see, hear, and care for others?

Like all other language about God, the body of Christ and puzzle imagery simply cannot fully convey the splendor and glory, the mystery and awe of God. But it sure can give us something to think about! While I’ll spend a little more time looking for that puzzle piece, we serve a God who will never stop searching after us!

You are a member of a larger body. There is no other member quite like you. When we come together, bound by the power of the Holy Spirit, we often discover our true self and reveal the collective beauty of God’s great Creation. So, today, be the amazing, unique, beautiful puzzle piece you were created to be!

Peace,

Ken