Pieces

 

I'm not a carpenter, a bricklayer, or a quilter, but I know that when you work with pieces there is beauty when the pieces fit; if the pieces don't fit just right, there's no mastery in your masterpiece.  Life here can be full of troubling pieces.  I'm troubled by the violence in the Middle East where a friend of ours is seeking to spread the gospel.  I'm troubled by tragedy, by disease and suffering, and that it's not just the old who die.  This world is full of sadness and suffering; it's troubling and if you care to focus on it piece by piece it's downright depressing.  These are the bigger pieces, but there are smaller pieces that don't seem to fit either, those details of my life and circumstances that didn't turn out the way I thought they were going to.  When I see a piece that doesn't seem to fit I either try to figure out how to make it fit or else I try to figure out how to get rid of it. I wonder how it is I ended up with these slightly irregular pieces in my lap and I want to know how I can avoid collecting more of them in the future.  But today the Holy Spirit spoke to me through some people holding pieces I'd call slightly irregular and they reminded me that I'm not the One with the master plan for the kingdom of Heaven.  They reminded me that every piece has a purpose, a place, and that the One who controls all things sees the mastery in His masterpiece.  They reminded me there is beauty when the pieces fit, and though we may not see it, what we can see is the beauty of the One who pieces all things together.  Don't throw out the irregular shaped pieces, the pieces that don't seem to fit.  He is the Master, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, He works all things for His good and glory for those who love Him; it's a privilege to be part of His masterpiece.  

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (ESV)