Fine Just As You Are

1 Corinthians 12: ¹⁴ For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. ¹⁵ If the foot were to say, “Because I am not a hand, I don't belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear were to say, “Because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell? ¹⁸ As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as he wanted it to be. ¹⁹ There would not be a body if it were all only one part! ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts but one body.

 

============

 

After being talked about by many people, I wondered if I was broken beyond repair. Too skinny, too poor, too messy, too out of fashion were the many insults hurled at me. The world had placed negative labels on me that I wondered if they were true.

 

• I started to doubt my value.
• I wondered if I could amount to anything.
• I sometimes felt useless.

 

Paul explains that looking at someone else’s gifts and talents may cause a person to doubt the value of their own. He used an analogy of feet, ears and eyes to illustrate how necessary each person is to the body of CHRIST.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to value other people’s gifts and talents.
• GOD wants me to also value my gifts and talents.
• GOD wants me to understand that no one is inferior or superior.

 

Feeling “less than” is a serious problem. I mean, making someone feel less than their gifts and talents GOD has given them is a serious offense. But also, envying someone because of their gifts and talents can cause problems as well. What is the remedy? Be thankful.

 

When I am thankful for my gifts as well as other people’s gifts, I can broaden my world to more than me. My life becomes abundant when I praise GOD for others and for how HE made me. I am glad HE says “I saved you in the middle of your sins.” This shows me HE loves me just as I am.

 

Challenge

• What does this passage say about the “body?”
• What value do you place on your gifts and talents? How about other people’s gift?
• Will you seek to value how GOD made you and how HE made other people different for HIS purpose?