We Are Uniquely Qualified
We Are Uniquely Qualified
I was sitting watching the birds in all of their vivid colors. With personalities, songs, male, female, each so incredibly unique and beautiful in their own right. I then think of us, people, and our proclivities, personalities, gifts, and talents. Often we wish to be like someone else, have the characteristics of the person we see down the street or in the store, maybe at work or in school. When we do we miss the best part of who we are.
Key for us to remember; there is the “God factor.”
In His wisdom and creativity, He has created each one of us to be uniquely us.
God has created us with our own personality and temperament: the fingerprints of our life. The “who we are,” the things we dream, and the things we hope to be or do.
God created us with the color of our eyes, our height, the way we laugh, our personality, our gifts, and our talents. He knows the very number of hairs on our heads.
We are one in million, one in a billion. Our DNA is so precise and so specific we are completely and uniquely distinctive, special; ourselves. We are one of a kind. The only one that can touch the specific people God brings through our lives with His message of love that is delivered in our own unique way.
His perspective or desire isn’t to change who we are. It is that we use our time, talents and treasury to embrace and live to the fullest purpose and role in the body of Christ, our purpose in this world here on earth.
God’s interest wasn’t that all people are the same with the same personalities, gifts or talents. Christ shows us this with those to which He surrounded Himself; a group of very diverse men and women; from strong, bold fishermen and tax collectors, to educated leaders in the community. All with different gifts, talents, and personalities. They had many responsibilities in managing the crowds. Peter and John were the two that even dealt with the details of the last supper. They were the first two to whom Christ showed himself when He rose from the dead. Different people and responsibilities all with very different personalities yet much loved by Christ.
This is the way God had intended it to be: for Christ followers to not only need each other but to be needed with all of our individual temperaments, talents, gifts, and personalities.
The apostle’s job was to be the hands and feet of God to this world. They were to teach, practice, enact, and deploy this, “The Greatest Commandment”:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ this is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)
Inez was my mentor, my spiritual mother and a grandmother to my children. I met Inez when I was 22-years-old in a Bible Study she and her sister taught in their home. She was the most incredible teacher. She brought the Bible to life with history and background. I fell in love with the Bible as a result of her teaching.
Several years later I met another Bible teacher. She had a completely different approach to teaching. She did research that was amazing. She understood even more of the cultural nuances and religions of the day and their impact on the society of the Biblical time period. She put the texture of the culture into her teaching.
These were two ladies that I respected highly, even envied. I would have given anything to be able to communicate the way they did. I always said, “I didn’t have a teaching gift.” The ironic thing is I have had a mission statement for the last 33 years “to teach people how to reach their God-given potential through the power of Jesus Christ” that would defy my denial. What I realized is that although all three of us have a gift of teaching, that gift is influenced by our personalities, temperaments, strengths, and weaknesses. By who we are. The uniqueness with which God made each of us: The only one with this DNA. It isn’t that the subject needs to be different but our process and delivery are different for each and all three of us.
In this way, we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without envy or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
“If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.”
Romans 12:4-13 The Message (MSG)
Paul shows us in Romans that we are all a part of the Body of Christ. While each one is different, we are valuable and irreplaceable.
The price is great; the reward far greater. Everyone Has The Freedom To Choose.
What are your unique gifts and talents? Today will you pursue your purpose as a Christ follower?
