Finding the Missing Piece

I love puzzles and enjoy solving them. On a walk with a friend I found a piece of a puzzle; just one small piece. I picked it up and placed it with a few personal treasures and hopefully sometime someone will come asking for it, or who knows, I might find the rest of the larger puzzle somewhere.

This got me thinking about our lives. God values every part of our lives and treasures every part of us. As I picked up this piece of the puzzle it never occurred to me that I should throw it away in the bin, because I hoped I could find the rest of it. It would have been easy to walk past it, but because of my love for puzzles I just had to rescue it.

Every minute, day, month or year of our life is important. It’s easy to discard the times we weren’t happy with, such as the traumatic seasons and events, but without those times, a part of our history is missing. Sometimes we want to close doors so tightly that no one can ever enter, but God values those parts of our history and He uses them to make His story. He uses our past to propel us into the next level, and our failures are His opportunities to reveal His greatness.

It’s easy to assume that the past doesn’t matter, but the past has made us who we are in the present. It’s how we react to the past that matters. If we let that past hold us in, then we remain bound, but if we give those parts to God to heal and restore then we can move forward into the freedom He has for us.

If our past was not important to God then He wouldn’t have said in Joel 2:25:-‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you’.

God wants to make you whole, to put every piece together, and to restore you. He wants to knit you together so that every part of you can be whole, free and sanctified through Him. The puzzle looks more real, more beautiful and more complete when all the pieces are put together. God will restore the years the locusts have eaten. Though the pain of re-visting them is great, the joy of your freedom will be greater.

Prayer: Oh Lord, I give my life to You, You have searched me and You know me very well. I pray, please help me to let You restore and heal my life, the parts that I want to hide from You and myself. Please help me give these areas to You so that You can heal and restore them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.