| “Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” |
| —1 Corinthians 12:27 |
The principal of our school had an idea. She said, “How about if all the teachers in the building exchanged places with someone else for a day? Wouldn’t that spice up our lives at the end of the school year?”
I don’t remember how the exchanges were assigned, but I do remember “playing” kindergarten teacher all day.
I think we all learned to appreciate each other’s lot in life. And, we also had the opportunity to understand what substitute teachers deal with, as well. In addition, I learned that God had a place where the gifts He had given me worked a lot better than with that Kindergarten classroom of untied-shoelace wearers!
The Scripture found in 1 Corinthians 12:27 above, likens us to members of Christ’s body. We all have a calling and gifting. Once we hear that call, we should not try to exchange it for something that may appear as a better place.
I like what the Puritan writer, William Gurnall, wrote on this subject:
We need to stand in the way God has directed us to walk… God will not thank you for doing that which he did not ask you to do… If we love to walk in God’s company, we must abide in our place and calling. Every step from that is a departure from God… We are judged for our own stewardship, and not that of another. God only requires faithfulness in our place. We do not find fault with an apple tree if it is laden with apples and not figs. It is an erratic spirit that carries men out of their place and calling… Man always prospers better in his own soil.1
As you go about your life, as toilsome as it may appear at times and less appealing than that of another, stay focused. Ask God to show you the rewards that you alone, and in your own place, can enjoy. Ask Him to show you how He blesses and uses you with the work He has given you. Then, praise Him for His sovereign wisdom.
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| 1 Gurnall, William, in Voices from the Past. Richard Rushing, editor. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 352. |
