The grandkids and I put together a 100-piece puzzle of two puppy dogs sitting on a windowsill. The initial work on the puzzle was something of a solo act by this PaPa until the border pieces were all in place. After that, the race was on to see who would put in the last piece. The two-year-old got in on the action, and we had to chase down some wayward pieces when he ran. But eventually, we admired the completed picture before tearing it apart again.
Life can be quite a puzzle. Finding the balance between work and family, leisure and chores, spending and saving, can be a constant juggle. Choices in life seem endless. Millions, it seems, strive for the right combination to reap peak happiness in life but still come up short. It is possible to have all the pieces in place the world says are critical and yet not reach happiness. The illusive piece seems always missing.
Jesus comments on this human dilemma: “The thief only comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil is out to deceitfully destroy lives while Jesus has come to give life. Satan lures us to sin with the promise of satisfaction and pleasure while knowing that sin eventually brings death. We put all the shiny pieces in place and find ourselves lonely and sad on the inside.
It has been suggested that every person was created with a God-sized hole in their heart that only God can fill. We were created for fellowship with God. We were made for the glory of God. The joy and satisfaction of life was never dependent on money and pleasure, but on a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. “I have come,…” Jesus said. The missing piece of the puzzle has always been God. Our lives are not complete without Christ.
The need for Christ to fulfill each life has been hidden – something of a secret. He is the great hope to find fulfillment on earth and also to enter heaven. The Bible says, “And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory” (Colossians 1:27, NLT). The presence of Christ is the path to glory. This verse is speaking primarily of heaven and the wonder that all the world through Christ can have that hope. Jesus came for all people - every tribe, nation and language. The missing piece has been revealed for all the world to find joy in life now and anticipate heaven forever!
Completing a puzzle provides a sense of satisfaction. There is a sense of relief and victory when the last piece slides perfectly into place. In the puzzle of life, confusion abounds until a person yields his or her life to Jesus Christ. When Christ comes into your life, the great spiritual need is met as one becomes a child of God.