Integrity…Humility Helps
Are you as spiritual as most of your friends? Wow…that’s not really a good question, BUT if you’re anything like me, I imagine that has crossed your conscience at some point. There have maybe been other comparisons you’ve dealt with in life too. Katie has a great challenge for us to be who God has made us to be. Check it out!
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:17-18
One of my favorite things is sitting after dinner, drinking a cup of coffee, and visiting with people around the table. I love this… until I suddenly realize someone else has cleared the table and is in the kitchen doing all the dishes. Then, I panic! “I should’ve thought to do that! It didn’t even cross my mind. Here I am sitting around, while others are working hard and serving well!”
Scripture teaches us that God has gifted each of us uniquely, and He has purpose in it! It’s our tendency to want to fit in with the crowd, to find some sort of commonality with people…to be like everyone else. But if God designed the body of Christ to have different parts and members, just as He wanted them to be, then I have a duty to be who God made me to be. How beautiful would the body of Christ be if we were all playing the parts God designed us to play?
Here are a few things I’ve learned about being exactly who God made me to be:
- Find out what your strengths are and how God has gifted you. The Bible has several passages of scripture that talk about spiritual gifts (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4). These are different gifts that God has given to His children. Check these out and ask those who know you well to help you identify how God has uniquely gifted you. I also love the resource, StrengthsFinder. This is a book and online questionnaire that helps you identify some of the ways God has gifted you.
- Embrace these strengths and confidently walk in them. It has taken awhile, but God has shown me that He has gifted each of us uniquely and His gift of encouragement in me is just as important and valuable as His gift of service in someone else. In fact, if everyone was in the kitchen doing dishes, who could be at the table to encourage the person who needed a reminder of how much God loves them?
- Use your strengths to bring God glory and to show others who Jesus is. God has uniquely gifted us for His purposes, so look for how God is working around you, and join Him in that work, using your gifts! If you are being who God created you to be, others will see Him in you. What a great testimony to those who don’t know Jesus to show them who He is by being exactly who He created you to be!
I pray that God would help you identify the ways He has gifted you, and that you would look for ways to use your strengths to show others who Jesus is and about His love for us.
Camper Corner
The Bible says God has made each of us unique and different! Just like each of our body parts has a specific purpose and function, each of us has a specific purpose and function in the Body of Christ. Can you think of some ways that God has made you unique? How can you use these gifts to show others God’s love?
