Daily Journal: 15 July

I Wish I Were Different

You have a body, and it is beautifully and wonderfully made. You know the external view of your body, but do you know all the inner parts of you? Each part is uniquely made, just for your body. Each part has an important purpose. If we look after some parts, but we neglect other parts, ultimately, we are not benefitting any part.

If you were just one part of your body, which part would you be? Wouldn’t you look after that part really well? But you’re not only one part. You are a sum of all your parts. Take special care of you.

God has made you for a purpose. I love to remind myself of this, and remind others of this. Purpose is everything in life. When people lose their purpose, they lose their will to live. Life is so very important because 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 what it is? Do you know why you’re alive? Do you know why your friends are alive? It’s because of purpose.

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.

We are not to say, I wish I were different. I wish I had that type of hair or those kinds of legs, any more than we should say, I wish I were more artistic, or was funnier. We are not to say I wish I were a boy or a girl. God made you just as you are because with that body, you were created to build and create a life that is meaningful and powerful for others. When we get caught up with insecurities and discontentment and we self-obsess, we take our eyes off a greater picture. God wants us to play a valuable part in life so that we help others complete their purpose.

We have a purpose to help others with their purpose, even as we embrace our own.

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.

Matthew 22:39 (AMP)

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

I pray that today we will consider the unique role we have to play and look for opportunities to help others in their unique role, building up and honouring each other.