We Are Different For A Reason

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? And if the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed he parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 14-19)

Every single person who has ever lived is completely unique. No two people have ever been exactly the same, not even identical twins. We can see this clearly as we look around and see the differences we all have as humans. We talk differently. We dress differently. We work differently, and we are gifted by God differently.

The Lord has given us all different gifts, talents, and abilities that we can use to point others to Him. But so often, instead of spending time maximizing these gifts, we are too busy comparing ourselves to the people around us. We think, “I can’t teach like him,” or “I can’t write like her,” or fill in the blank. We are so quick to discount our own gifts and abilities because they don’t look like the gifts and abilities of others.

But remember, the Lord knew what He was doing when He created us all differently. If He had made us all the same, we wouldn’t be able to reach other people for Him in such a vast variety of ways.

Let’s not forget that God made us on purpose, for a purpose. He gave you the exact gifts and talents He saw fit for you when He formed you in your mother’s womb. And He has a specific plan for what He wants to accomplish through the gifts He’s given you, but you have to be intentional about using them.

I would like to encourage you today to take some time and think about the gifts you’ve been given. Consider what talents and abilities God has uniquely given you and come up with a few ways you can use those gifts to honor Him. The Lord never asks us to be like another person, speak like another person, or serve like another person. He only asks us to follow Him, and as we do, we will ultimately become more like Christ.