“Each member belongs to all the members”
Romans 12:5
And whether your contributions are larger than your failures?
Consider the case of Lewis and Clark, the two explorers commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Mississippi River and its tributaries. At that time no one knew what existed in that region of America. Sporting Classics magazine reports, “They shot and ate species never before encountered by Americans, including pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and the ‘turrible bear’ known as the grizzly.” What an adventure! How famous they became!
But consider these additional words from the article: “Clark had a steady hand but could not spell. Even in those days before spelling was standardized, he managed to spell Sioux 27 different ways, obviously a record.”
The lesson is clear: Everyone, including you and me, has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. (But those strengths and weaknesses vary from person to person.) Dear sister Betty once argued with me that this truth did not apply to her…that she possessed no strengths! I showed her the Bible proof that she had strengths. She thought for a moment then said, “I won’t argue with the Bible, but I don’t know what my strengths are.” Well, we proceeded to identify her strengths to her and our information improved her outlook!
Perhaps you are a Betty. You may not be able to see what others see. What is the solution? Ah, recruit others to tell you what they see! Sometimes others understand what we are, or can become, better than we do!
This Bible truth regarding “strengths” is the underlying principle for Christian ministry in God’s church. The Bible says, “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, i.e. the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” Therefore, everyone is needed, including those of us who can’t spell Sioux!
0 Comments