The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Peter 2:9

I spent hours assembling the thousand-word puzzle only to discover in the end that one piece was missing. Unwilling to abandon the project I improvised with parts from other puzzles; yet, they all looked unnatural. Drawing pictures on cardboard, and printing substitutes only marred the beauty of the masterpiece. Regardless of my substitution, when I looked at the puzzle I noticed only the flaw. A substitute allowed me to complete the project, but nothing took the place of the original.

I often think of that experience when I pray for God’s will in my life. I believe he has not only a specific purpose for each person, but he also creates each person with the necessary characteristics to support that purpose. We may not appreciate those characteristics in ourselves; in fact, sometimes we consider them flaws. Even so, another person cannot do the work each of us is designed to accomplish. If we refuse to accept God’s plan, he reluctantly replaces us. A replacement completes the work; but the beauty God intended will never be revealed.

Prayer; Dear God, Help us realize you never make mistakes—even in us.

Thought for the day
God’s work we cannot do, our work God will not do

Prayer focus
To become aware of our individual influences on those around us