Uniquely His

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. ~ 1 Peter 4:10

Have you ever seen somebody and thought, "I wish I could be like that person," or had what they had or could do what they could do? But God said that we are all important in our own roles and He made us to be individuals, serving and praising the way He created us. For example, I kind of tripped over my gifts from God in college. I was going to be a Marine Biologist because I was fascinated with the way sharks eat. My mom tried to point out that this field was going to be more than just sight-seeing and shark-watching, but I didn't listen. After my first year in college--when I had failed my science classes--I decided Marine Biology wasn't the thing for me. So, somebody said, "What about physical therapy? You'd be good at that. They make great money." So I took some more science classes and added a few math classes. But, unfortunately, I didn't do well in those either. But what I realized was that I was excelling in all my writing classes, and I was enjoying them. So I changed my major to English so I could write papers and poetry and short stories.

The point isn't what God didn't create me to be, but that He created me to be uniquely me. He created me to fulfill a specific purpose that He had set aside for me. That's what the Bible is talking about in 1 Corinthians 12, when it's describing the many parts of the body. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though its parts are many, they form one body," (vv 12). God created some to be singers, some to prayer warriors, some to be teachers, some to be small group leaders, some to be counselors, some to work all the technology that churches need, some to do the financing, some to be elders, some to be ministry leaders, some to be pastors, some to be creative writers, and so on. We may all be serving in different areas, in different ways, "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be," (vv 18). Just think what life would be like if we all tried to sing, all the time...especially for those like me who aren't sure if we ever hit a key. Or think of what the equipment would look like if we all tried to run the technology or the smoothie machines. But God didn't make us to be the same. He made us all to be uniquely His, that the parts of His body, "should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it," (vv 25-26).

We are all a part of God's one body. We are all God's kids. We are all uniquely His.