Daily Journal: 15 July

"I Wish I Were Different"

If you were just one part of your body, which part would you be? Wouldn’t you look after that part really well?

You know the external view of your body, but do you know all the inner parts of you? Every organ, every tissue and cell is uniquely sculpted and crafted for a specific purpose. Every part of you makes up the uniqueness of all of you.

If we look after some parts but neglect other parts, ultimately, we are not benefitting any part

You’re not only one part. You are a sum of all your parts. Truly, you are beautifully and wonderfully made. Take special care of you.

God has made you for a purpose. I love to remind myself of this, and others, too. Purpose is everything in life. When people lose their purpose, they lose their drive to live a profitable life. Work is important, and the ability to achieve success drives purpose. God wanted you enough to put you on this earth at this time for a reason (Esther 4:14; Acts 17:26).

Do you know why you’re alive? Do you know why your friends are alive?

1 Corinthians 12:18-19 (NCV)

If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put all the parts, each one of them, in the body as he wanted them.

Each one of us has a reason to be on this earth. We are never to say, "I wish I were different".

Let's not say, I wish I had that type of hair or those kinds of legs. Let's not say, I wish I were more artistic, I wish I was funnier, I wish I were a boy, or a girl. God made us just as we are because with that body, we were created to build and create a life that is meaningful.

When we get caught up with insecurities and discontentment, we self-obsess

This is our downfall. We take our eyes off a greater picture. God wants us to play a valuable part in life so that we not only work out our own purpose, but we help others complete their purpose.

1 Corinthians 12:21-25 (NCV)

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!” No! Those parts of the body that seem to be the weaker are really necessary. And the parts of the body we think are less deserving are the parts to which we give the most honour. We give special respect to the parts we want to hide. The more respectable parts of our body need no special care. But God put the body together and gave more honour to the parts that need it so our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other.

We were made in God’s image, and we were made uniquely by God’s own hand to love and be loved, to benefit and to be benefitted, specifically and carefully, just the way He intended.

Think about how beautifully you are made. Think about how you are a gift to others.

How can you love yourself better? How can you extend, or beautify, the parts of yourself you don't always consider, in honour of how God created you from birth?

If we don't know how to love ourselves, how can we love others?

Matthew 22:39 (AMP)

‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’

What parts of you do you neglect? How can you learn to love yourself and respect the person, and the body, God created you to be?

I pray that today we will consider how beautifully we are made - the things we like and the things we don't like. I pray we will consider the unique role we have to play in this world. I ask the LORD to help us look for opportunities to honour Him in the way we honour ourselves and each other.