Finding My Place in the Picture

My kids love to talk in movie quotes.  I guess it gives them a semi-secret code, a context that only those who have seen the same movie would understand.  Sometimes its funny.  Sometimes, it scares me a little bit until I figure out what they are talking about, and therein lies some of the attraction for them, I'm sure.  Hey let's see if we can shock Ol' Dad.
The foundation of humor is often an observation from real life that is given an absurd twist.  That is the underlying basis for my favorite movie quote that I hear from them from time to time.
"I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."
The conceit and arrogance of this statement, made by an over-the-top news anchor, has always struck me funny.  I'd like to think it is because I am a perceptive observer of the quirks of human nature, but it is more likely because my own nature often seeks affirmation and has a tendency toward braggadocia. Whichever is the case, I believe that it is important for each of us to realize that this life is not about us.  In his outstanding book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan talks about the fact that most people believe that in this grand movie of life, they are the star, when in reality, it is all about God and we are just the extras.
However, God has made us a part of the picture for a reason.  I think the healthiest way to look at our place in this world is to realize that we are like a puzzle piece.  We are not the whole picture, but the picture is incomplete without us.  But it is also true that we will never see the whole picture until we get together with other Christians.  You have heard me say it over and over again.  The Christian life was not designed to be lived in isolation.  It was meant to be lived in community with other believers as a part of a living, breathing, functioning body. 
So, this morning, I would challenge you to find your place in the picture.  Ask God to show you where you fit.  He has designed you to be a part of something much greater than yourself, something that He wants to use to shake the world, His church.  And that, my friends, is kind of a big deal.