I had two of my kids over with friends and spouse this last weekend. It always amazes me how different my children have become as adults. Their tastes and their dislikes are almost like mirror images. I guess it bears out in any family. The differences in my brothers and their wives, my cousins and their spouses and children are so widespread. We all have some things in common, such as family, and things different but it is where we can come together to argue and laugh.
It reminds me how Paul describes the church as being built brick by brick, stone by stone. Without one person, the wall would have a hole in it. I know that I miss people when they are not there. There is a hole where they are supposed to be. I would like to find my place in the wall.
Paul says in Ephesians that God equipped him to do his work for surely he had nothing to do with it. He also mentions that he is busily preaching and writing about things way over his head. If Paul felt that way, then surely it is okay if I feel that way.
Then in chapter 4 Paul talks about what he wants his fellow Christians to do while he is locked up in prison. He wants us to walk together, since we walk the same direction, the same road, having the same master and savior, so we should walk together physically as well as figuratively. He does make note that we are not all the same. He says that we should not all act and speak and look the same since we are all made unique by the generosity of God. This generosity has given us each our own gifts and talents, our way of seeing things and doing things that bring joy to Him.
So, each of us are the same and yet different. We each bring joy to God. And we can each bring joy to each other. When someone is different than us and sees things a different way, it is not for discord but for variety. Our very differences teach us more about God and his infinite character and personality.
So where do you fit in? Where do I fit in? That is a good question and worthy of prayer. My family, my church and my work provide a wealth of opportunities for me to fit in. My main goal is to move forward toward what God is nudging me to do. I want to find my place where I will find satisfaction, passion and peace in my activities.
Ephesians 2:19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
Ephesians 3:15, 20-21 I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
