Puzzle Pieces

I've heard it said that each of us holds a piece to the puzzle. I believe that each of us *is* a piece to the puzzle. Torah is all about bringing those pieces together, about teaching us to look outside ourselves and create real connections with other human beings.

The adversary opposes this. He will tell you that you stand alone as the whole in yourself. Or that you are misshapen and unfit for the Creator's masterpiece. He will try to force you into holes that you do not fit to dishearten you. He will point out how different everyone else is and tell you that they must conform or that you must conform. He works with fear and pride--fear that you are mangled and do not belong; pride that you exist for yourself or as head of the puzzle. This is the lie.

Torah teaches us to Shema, to listen. To hear another for who they really are, to understand them. To walk in their shoes as Messiah walked in ours. To identify with their struggle, their pain, their joy, and their dreams. That means that sometimes we have to be still and listen. We have to stop talking like we know it all and admit that we can never completely understand the journey of another. We have to stop judging each other because we do not look alike, do not act alike, do not believe alike. The truth is that each one of us has a unique role in the story that our Creator is painting across the canvas of life--a role inseparable from the lives of others.

Torah is about relationship. The opposite of Torah is self-centeredness. Torah is about reaching out, courageously taking the hand of another and recognizing the signature of divine within that person. This is love.

The Reasons

I originally wrote this three years ago. I've made a few updates since then, but the central message is still the same. It's not about us. It's about Him.

Why are we following this path of Torah?

Are we doing it so that we will be happy? Are we doing it to earn blessing or earn brownie points with our creator? Are we doing it because it makes us feel good? (Matthew 16:24-25)

Are we doing it to become holy? Do we think it will make us more righteous than everyone else? Are we doing it for salvation? Has it become a legalistic list of do's and don'ts? (Leviticus 20:8, Ezekiel 37:28, Titus 3:5)

Are we doing out of fear? Are we afraid that if we don't, that God won't love us any more? Do we feel like we need to earn His favor? (Romans 5:6-8; 8:15, Psalm 103:8-12)

Are we doing it because our friends are doing it? Is it how we become accepted? Are we doing it because it is the latest fad and makes us stand out? (Matthew 10:35-39, Mark 4:16-17)

Are we doing it out of rebellion? Are we trying to separate ourselves from other Christians (Christians who love God dearly)? Is this just a way of showing our independence—of breaking away from tradition? (Mark 9:50, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Romans 12:18)

Or are we doing it for more? Are we looking to our Father in heaven and saying “I want to love like He does”? Are we doing it so that the light of Yeshua may shine through us to the world? Are we doing it for the sake of His name and His Kingdom? (Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel 36:22, Matthew 5:14-16)