There are many beautiful things about the animal kingdom if one observes, but one of the most beautiful things I have found is that animals are content to be themselves. I have never seen a crocodile trying to be a zebra. A crocodile with its short legs, its long tail and a very toothy grin, in all its clumsiness does not try and run with the elegance and long leggedness of a zebra. What is my point? My point is that they are content to be who they are, who they have been called to be shall we say. People could learn a lot from animals if we took the time to observe.
God has a unique and just as important calling for each and every one of us. There is no part of the body that is more important. We could not operate without a head but it is equally difficult, especially in the beginning, to try and walk without a toe or two. What do I mean by this? Perhaps you have not been called to minister over the pulpit, but you are called to reach out to those around you, neither of these is more important than the other; more visible perhaps, but not more important. Everyone is called to something. We need to be out doing the work of the Lord, sharing His word with everyone we meet, but we also need the preaching and teaching of the gospel.
We can easily fall into the trap of comparison, but something I have learned is that when we compare ourselves to others, we try to emulate the other person. Often when we try to act like someone else, we fall short because it is not who we are. This is not because you are not as good as the other person, you are just different; it would be like a crocodile trying to act like a zebra. They are both animals, they both have a purpose in the animal kingdom, remove one species completely and everything is thrown out of balance. The same happens when we try to be someone we are not. Balance falls away, at times we may become so focused (consciously or unconsciously) on becoming what we are not, that we begin to feel like a failure. God made you just the way you are, embrace all of you.
I hope to encourage someone today, be the best YOU that YOU can be, the best you that God is calling you to be. The feet carry the body, while the head with the brain sets the path. The hands do the work of the body, the heart keeps the blood flowing, every part has its own unique place, with its own unique role. The body would not be whole if any of these parts were missing, and may become dysfunctional. The same can be said about the church body, it would not be whole if any part of it was not there, and should a part of the body not be who it is, the body may become a little dysfunctional.
If you are feeling like a toe on the foot, help to carry the body, if you are feeling like the heart, keep pumped up and keep the blood flowing. YOU are important in the kingdom of God, each one of us working together to keep the body growing, moving and becoming better. Be who you are, be who you are called to be. Be the authentic You God desires you to be. – Angie Hallam
