Many Hands Make Light Work

I have been absolutely fascinated watching the builders across the road from me today. 

I have quite literally stopped what I've been doing for 20 minutes at a time to observe their progress.  The flats have shot up - even since yesterday - and I am amazed at the pace of their work.

I noticed today how all of them have their own, individual jobs to complete which fit into the bigger, overarching job.  Some of them were moving bricks with machines.  Some were carefully spreading cement and laying bricks and checking they were level.  Some were filling in the gaps between the outer and inner walls with insulation.  Some were moving and rebuilding the scaffolding surrounding the site.

All of them had their own job to do and all of them were working diligently.

Many hands make light work.

I think it is probably no coincidence that I was listening to 'Build Your Kingdom Here' by Rend Collective when I first paused to watch the builders earlier (listen to it here -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcSWpVKKMcs).

The words of the chorus are -  
 

"Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray."
 

As I watched the builders today and listened to this song, I was struck by how it offered a beautiful picture of the church: everyone working together on different jobs, to build God's Kingdom on earth. 

We often pray the words of the Lord's Prayer - "Your Kingdom come", but we don't often acknowledge our role in bringing - or building - this Kingdom.

God has a part and a purpose for each of us.  No matter who we are, or how we got here, we all have a role to play in the building of His Kingdom.

"God is building a home.  He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building.  He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.  We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home."

[Ephesians 2:20-22 MSG]
 

Many hands make light work.

Fitting The Pieces Together

I don't particularly enjoy jigsaw puzzles.  I don't have the patience.

 

I find it endlessly frustrating to pick up a piece, try it in all the available spaces, rotate it in every possible way, and finally put it back down to begin the process again with a different piece.

 

If I had someone on hand to try out all of the pieces and tell me where to put them in, that could work.

 

Sometimes life can feel a bit like this - we spend a lot of time trying to work out where and how we fit in.

 

We try ourselves out in different places and different spaces.  We squeeze ourselves and rotate ourselves and try to find where we belong.

 

I often like to think of myself - and hope other people see me - as a jigsaw piece with four sticky-out bits (is there a technical word for them?!  Knobbles?)  I have plenty to offer.  I like to be needed.  I like to help. 

 

I am not so comfortable with being the sort of jigsaw piece which has gaps and holes.  I'd rather people didn't see my weaknesses, my vulnerabilities.  I'd rather not 'need' other people.

 

But God is showing me how true connection, real relationship, comes from acknowledging these weaknesses and vulnerabilities.  It comes from exposing and accepting the fact that I am not self-sufficient.  I need other people.

 

The Bible talks about this needing each other, and describes the way that God is fitting us all together:

 

"He’s using us all — irrespective of how we got here — in what he is building.  He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation.  Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.  We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home."

 

[Ephesians 2:20-22 MSG] 

 

The thing with jigsaw pieces is that not one of them is four sides of edge.  They all need something else to complete them.  And it's the same with us.  We are not complete on our own. 

We all strengths and weaknesses.  We all have powers and vulnerabilities.  And we all need each other.