The Missing Peace

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." --1 Corinthians 14:33 I've never been very good at riddles. My brain just doesn't work like that. Crosswords? Forget 'em. For the life of me, I can't keep from looking up the answers in the back of the book. But puzzles? Well, that's a different story. Loretta and I enjoy a good puzzle. Shopping for one is easy too. You just find a cool picture, and that's it. You bring it home, spread the puzzle out on the table, prop up the photo and get to work. It's not long before what used to be in pieces begins to take the shape of the goal.

But how easy would it be if you took away the box with the picture on it? Tough, right? Or what if you turned off the lights, what then? How easy would it be to put that puzzle together?

For those without Christ, that's life. They piece together hours, days and weeks, assembling their lives -- on feel alone -- without Christ. As Christians, our lives are not easily assembled either. (If you're with me, say 'amen'.) Though we have Christ as our picture of perfection and more than enough light for a million-piece-life, we still stumble and struggle to put it together. Yet deep inside, we have that missing peace, don't we?

You know, Loretta and I can both be looking for the same piece of our little puzzle and when one of us finds it, what's the first thing we do? We show it to each other. We share it. Then we watch how it fills the empty space. And it's not long before what used to be in pieces begins to take the shape of the goal. You and I have the missing peace, and someone we know is searching for Him. Someone at the gym, in spin class, at the yoga studio. No more riddles. Let's tell them.

--Jimmy Peña

Have a good weekend, kids.