- Morning Devotional
- August 27,
2005
"There Is Only One You"
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But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you." In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:18-27 NLT).
For over 30 years, it was “a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” I’m sure that if you had children growing up in the three decades spanning the 70’s through the 90’s you remember Fred Rogers stepping up onto the porch, opening the door and beaming a wide, welcoming smile. He would always change from his suit jacket to his zippered cardigan sweater, from his leather slip-ons to his navy blue canvas boat shoes, and sing: "Would you be mine, could you be mine, won't you be my neighbor?" It was truly a wonderful children’s program. And, he was certainly right about at least one thing: There is only one you. This information is much more important than just boosting our self-esteem. It should help us better serve others by being more confident about our God-given role in life.
No one else fits your shape. No one else has your blend of gifts, talents, and natural abilities, making you very important in the whole scheme of things. But this uniqueness goes beyond giftedness; it reaches as well into the depth of each of our experiences in our life of faith. No one else has your life. No one else has your pain, your hardship, your joys, or your sorrows. Everything in life shapes us and we are shaped by everything for a reason: so that we can touch others in a unique way based upon who we are and what we’ve been through. God is amazing. He doesn’t waste anything in our lives.
Every piece of our lives and experiences can be used of Christ to touch someone else. Are you just getting by, or are you living for a reason? Think about your unique gifts and ask yourself how those gifts are benefiting others. What specific way is God using you to touch others in the Body of Christ? Do you seem to have an extra measure of wisdom, or mercy, or discernment, or knowledge, or administration, or desire to serve? There are no accidents with our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped who we are, and because of that, we are qualified. There is truly no one else like you… for a reason.
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