Missing

I once read a quote from a 6 year old girl named Emma.  She said, “Love is when you’re missing some of your teeth but you’re not afraid to smile because your friends will still love you even though some of you is missing.”  That quote made me think of a passage of scripture I read in Romans 5... “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  

So many of us feel like something’s missing... we don’t measure up...we’ve blown it... we don’t feel worthy of Jesus’ love... But this passage assures us that Jesus doesn’t love us because we’re perfect... He loves us because He chooses to.  He loves us so much that He died for us while we were still broken, hurting, and incomplete.  Now, that’s a reason to smile!

One Piece

I read of a man in England who spent seven years on a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle.  Eighty-six year old retiree Jack Harris started the five foot tall puzzle just after Christmas of 2002 and for many years meticulously worked at putting it together.  Sadly, at the end of his journey... after 4999 pieces were placed in their exact spots... the puzzle could not be completed.  The tiny hole in the middle of the puzzle revealed that a piece was missing.

This brought a powerful scripture to mind... Mark 8:36 “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”  So many people live their whole life building wealth... putting together success... acquiring possessions... and come to the end of it without the most important piece:  a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Their picture is incomplete... and as a result they spend eternity separated from Him.   Maybe you know someone who’s working on their puzzle and needs that missing part... be bold!  Share the amazing news of salvation with them... and turn what could be tragic into something triumphant.