“Community is like a large mosaic. Each little piece seems so insignificant. One piece is bright red, another cold blue or dull green, another warm purple, another sharp yellow, another shining gold. Some look precious, others ordinary. Some look valuable, others worthless. Some look gaudy, others delicate. As individuals stones, we can do little with them except compare them and judge their beauty and value. When, however, all these little stones are brought together in one big mosaic portraying the face of Christ, who would ever question the importance of any one of them? If one of them, even the least spectacular one, is missing, the face is incomplete. Together in the one mosaic, each little stone is indispensable and makes a unique contribution to the glory of God. That’s community, a fellowship of little people who together make God visible in the world” (Henri Nouwen).

You may not be the hippest and trendiest person on the planet.

You may not be the most socially polished person that anyone will ever meet.

You may not rank very highly on the socially desirable scale of who’s who’s and so-and-so’s.

You may not feel like you’re a very high prority on anyone’s list of friends and your friends may seem like they can make time for others when they’re too busy for you.

You may feel romatically undesireable because you’re not GQ or Vanity Fair, and that whatever good traits you possess don’t really matter if you’re not physically beautiful and if people don’t use words to describe you like “hot” or “fine” or “gorgeous” or “eye candy”.

You may look around at all the people who seem to be more successful in every area of life than you and get discouraged because you just don’t measure up to anyone or anything.

You may think that you add nothing to the world and that your absence wouldn’t affect anything in the slightest little bit.

But you matter.

You are who God created you to be. You are your Abba’s beloved child.

You are the mosaic piece God created you to be to fill a part of the mosaic that only you can fill and shine like only you can shine.

You can only be the best you, just as I can only be the best me. We can never be what someone else thinks we should be or what we think others want us to be.

Together, we can show the world what the rainbow colors of faith, hope, and love look like.

Together, we are the hands and feet and heart of Jesus to the outcast and needy and poor and broken.

Together, we are the visible face of God. Together, we are the body of Christ.

Without you in it, the mosaic doesn’t shine as brightly and the world misses a crucial part of what God looks like.

Together, you and I and the rest of the community of faith form a divine mosaic. When the world looks at us, they will see Jesus.