The Missing Piece

Read: Romans 10:8-18

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?                                                                         Romans 10:14

     Like most kids, I used to put puzzles together when I was younger. As I got older, I upgraded to the larger, more challenging puzzles – the ones with five hundred to a thousand pieces. One of the most disappointing things about putting a puzzle together was making it all the way to the end and realizing that one of the pieces was missing. Since I am the oldest of ten children, it wouldn’t be hard for you to imagine why there might be missing pieces. When that happened, it felt almost as if the whole project had been in vain. Even though I could really see the whole picture without that one piece, it still felt like it was only half done. Regardless of whether I could tell what the overall picture would look like or not, it was certainly less beautiful than it could have been if all the pieces were there.

     The universe is like a giant puzzle that God is putting together – a gigantic puzzle that only omniscience could construct. God understands where each galaxy, star, continent, country, mountain, tree, and person needs to be in order to fulfill His perfect plan for the overall picture. You are one of those puzzle pieces, and when you are not where God wants you to be, then you might be that one piece that is missing in God’s plan. God may have some natives on a mission field somewhere that He has planned for you to share the gospel with. If you are not there to tell them, who will? God may have a church picked out for you to pastor. If you don’t answer His call to go and preach, then who will fill that pulpit and spiritually feed the people there? God may just be calling you to be a faithful layman in a church who can help bring in children through a bus ministry. If you are off living your life in your own way, then who will fill that piece of the puzzle?

     When every single person does the will of God, then all of the pieces are in place for God to work out His entire plan for the universe. Perhaps the reason that it seems the whole world is falling apart is because so many have neglected God’s plan for them, and have tried to fit their piece of the puzzle into a place where it was never intended to be. God’s will is going to be accomplished. However, just like a puzzle, it can make the overall picture of your life so much more beautiful if you are in the place God intends for you to be. Don’t be the piece that’s missing in God’s overall plan.

Quote of the day: “If you try to be something you’re not, you’ll be nothing.”