Mosaic

God gives me things way more than I credit Him. Driving to work recently, He planted a thought in me about mosaics. When I think of mosaics, I think of broken pieces of things that create something nice. A quick Google search of the definition reveals a mosaic is defined as “a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material such as stone, tile, or glass.” I considered family treasures that end up broken, and I thought about how one way of preserving those pieces is by using them in a mosaic.

Then, it hit me.

We are all broken pieces. Together, when we put our broken pieces together, we make up an amazing mosaic and form the face of God. That thought blew me away!

At a glance, some may want us to believe that there is a great division between people today. I choose, however, to see things differently. In my small world, I want to do my part in creating unity and forming the face of God.

How?

We can LIMP along. Although as you continue reading, there may be more truth to “limping” than I’d like to admit.

Really though, it’s just an acronym. We can Love, Interact, Model, and Pray.

It all starts with love. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. The greatest commandments we are given involve love. First, we are to love the Lord completely. Second, we are to love our neighbors. In my self-evaluation, I struggle more with the second one. It is hard for me when neighbors do things in which I disagree. It is challenging to me when they aren’t warm and friendly. It is challenging for me when their behaviors (e.g., volume, habits, etc.) affect mine and my family’s lives. Love seems easy on the surface, yet I find challenges in the implementation phase. 1 Corinthians 13:4 outlines what love is and isn’t. It’s worth reading. It is quite a prescription (and challenge, at least to me) to follow.

Loving God and others helps us to bring His love to our interactions. So, in a sense, interactions and modeling can be paired really well together. When we interact with others, we can model our belief systems. In my work, for example, my goal is not only serve whoever sits in front of me, but also serve that person well. These folks seek out my services. My objective is to have them return to me should they need my help. It does not matter how the person looks, their country of origin, etc. I want that person to leave my office feeling bigger and better than when they entered into it. I want to empower them and serve them well.

In addition, I can interact lovingly with my wife and children. For my spouse, I need to be sensitive to her needs and be willing to compromise. I do not need to put on a show for the public; essentially, I believe in making my private and public life consistent. For me personally, there’s less wiggle room and greater opportunities for consistency. Consistency helps me. For my children, I need to be a good role model for them. I want them to know how to act and how treat others respectfully. It’s not a one-time conversation; it’s a process. They need to understand their parents (yes, both of us) have expectations that they will be productive, responsible, and respectful citizens. When they “forget” or slip, those are teachable moments and good opportunities for reminding them.

I think the biggest way, though, that we can bridge the “gap” between people is through prayer. I share with you what I do, what works for me. I do not share to toot my own horn, but rather, I want to praise God for the work He continues to do in me. When I am driving during my commute and see cars stranded on the highway, I pray for the family, that their burdens are eased and they’re able to handle the situation easily. Now, this scenario is more challenging for me, but I’m attempting to do this more regularly. Let’s say a person cuts me off in traffic. After my initial reactions, I am attempting more frequently to pray for those people while also asking for forgiveness (if need be). If I say I’m going to pray, I’m doing it right then and there. If someone asks me to pray, I’m doing it. If I click “like” on a post on Facebook involving prayer, likely I’m praying then and there. I truly and personally believe prayer is powerful. I have felt the benefits of it. I, too, have seen the benefits of prayer for others. I still believe it is one of the kindest things we can do for one another whether the person knows we’re doing it or not. For me personally, I generally side on the person not knowing, but that’s just me.

So while some folks want to portray a picture that is shattered and ugly of the world today, let’s do our parts in creating something beautiful. We will LIMP through it together. Let the love of Christ shine through our lives, through our interactions, through the way we model ourselves for our friends and families, and through our prayers. If you struggle in an area, pray about it first. Pray for compassion and understanding. Pray for help. Embrace those differences that we all have (thank God!) as we put our broken selves together to form the face of Jesus. We all have ugly parts of ourselves. I think too often that part is too easy to hold our focus. But, those ugly parts don’t have to define us. The beauty and power that is God’s love is overwhelming. It fills us up just where we are (half-empty, half-full—you decide). And if you believe in Christ, that same beauty lives inside you, too. Help me to form a beautiful mosaic that embodies God’s love and shows His face to the world.

#art #mosaic #Jesus #Christ #JesusChrist #love #differences #broken