Missing Puzzle Pieces
by Jalen Gardner
Here at New City, we talk often about the three identities we receive when we put our faith in Christ, and that we strive to live out in our everyday lives: family, missionary, and servant. On March 9, 2024, the youth had our first “Identity Day” in which we walked through how those three identities apply to their lives as much as it does their parents’. Something we hear often but I think is a misunderstanding, is the idea that youth and kids are the future of the church, not a part of the happenings going on currently. So I always want to encourage them that they are active partners in the work God is doing in the church, both local and global, right where they are.
As we were walking through the first identity of the day, family, we found ourselves in a great discussion about what our nuclear families looked like in the most general sense. We were navigating through the nuances that we each have in our families and how when we are gone, there is a part of our families that are missing. Some identified themselves as the life of the family that always kept the party going with their jokes. Others pointed out how they often played mediator with their siblings and found value there.
One student downplayed their role and thought her place in the family didn’t matter because her parents kept everything going, so her absence wouldn’t be felt because she didn’t contribute financially or in any other “important” way. We, of course, all reminded her of how much she meant to her family and it quickly pivoted to how we all play important roles in the spheres we are in.
This all led me to turn to Genesis 1:26. A reminder of the truth that we are all made in the image of God. We all, in some way, represent a different aspect and quality of God with our different gifts, talents, and personalities. If we are not all the same, but bear the same image, then we must have different portrayals to present to bring glory to our Creator. When we miss the beauty of being the body, we miss having an opportunity to see more of who God is through our brothers and sisters.
Then came the puzzle analogy. One of our great youth leaders, Jeremy Luman, says, “It’s like a puzzle. Have you ever been putting together a puzzle and then there’s a piece missing? You did all of this work putting the puzzle together but you can’t see the full picture because there are pieces missing. That’s what happens when one of you is missing. We’re missing pieces of the puzzle.”
If there were light bulbs above everyone’s heads, they would have all turned on. This rather simple analogy of a missing puzzle pieces allowed all us to realize how important it was to show up for the other. We knew that in order to truly be able to live out the identities of family, missionary, and servant, we had to show up for each other. When we fail to do that, we can still work on the puzzle, look at the puzzle, and even appreciate the pieces of the puzzle that are fitting in their place, but we’re inevitably going to be missing the full picture that’s supposed to be present.
Just as it applies with the youth, it’s a reminder for us all. If I’m being honest, it’s easy to not show up sometimes. Sometimes we need rest, but sometimes, we allow the enemy to separate us. Feelings of self-doubt can lead us to believe that we aren’t important to the body and no one would notice nor care if we simply didn’t show up or only came through when the time felt right. But a beautiful thing I must remember is that Jesus died for the body.
Passages like 2 Cor. 1 remind me that the body is meant to comfort and walk through life with each other. Reading about the early church in Acts 2 doing life together reminds me that we are not meant to do this life alone. No matter how our urges may turn us to want to be isolated alone, there is great value in sticking out with other believers on either side of us.
We all have the opportunity to walk through life’s celebrations and challenges with a body that knows that they are loved and being redeemed. Because we know who our Creator is and what Christ has done for us, we know the love that can overflow through the body of Christ when we allow ourselves to be a part of true community.
If you are reading this and you do not know these truths and you have not experienced community in which the love of God flows, I would encourage you to reach out. Reach out to someone you know who has encountered Jesus. Jesus, the one who took on our sin, the very thing that separates us from God, and paid the price for it so that we could be reconciled with the Father. Even if you did not know that you had sin and were separated from God, Jesus has already taken care of it, and there is a family of people who are ready to welcome you. And with your presence, we have an opportunity to see the entire picture of the puzzle a little clearer.