Rejoice in Our Differences
By Clark Schultz
I was never a big athlete in school. I mean I played sports, but wasn't the star player. I was never a big music person either, but I plunked out "Chop Sticks" on the piano. So it was hard to find what group I wanted to hang out with-the athletes or the non-athletes.
Miserable measurements
Too often what would happen - and maybe you are like me - is that I would look at other people's gifts, and then fail to see the gifts that I had. Everybody was always doing better than I was. Or so I thought.
Then one day I was talking with a friend-the star player on the football team-and he had a problem.
I thought, "Huh? Me? Why talk to me?"
After all, he was all-conference, but he needed my help on an assignment. He knew I was outgoing and could help him. After we talked, he told me he wished he had my gift of talking to people, and I told him I wished I had half his athletic ability.
After that I thought, "Wow, someone sees that I have gifts I didn't know I had."
Part of Christ's body
Too often we fall into that trap the devil sets. He makes us look at everyone and then compares them to ourselves. It seems as though the glass is half-empty. But in Psalm 139, David says, "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
The apostle Paul reminds us that like a body we each have different parts and functions, different backgrounds, talents, and abilities. Still, we work together as one body, Christ's body, as one in the love of our Savior. We don't compete with, but rather complement each other.
That's the cool thing-we are all on the same team. The God who loves us and lived for us and died for us and rose for us is the same God who gives us our different gifts.
Celebrate who you are
If you look at the person next to you and they can play sports or music better than you - good! Remember that you have gifts that they don't have.
Rejoice that God has gifted you with different gifts.
Realize that you aren't competing with other Christians. You are working together with them.
The same God has blessed, forgiven, and adopted each of you.