Quick update (as most, if not all, of you know)... I'm in the United States of America! I am fundraising for my move to Uganda and for the home I will be opening there. So if you would like me to speak at your church within the next month, please e-mail me at carissa@hopeforhome.org
Okay, for my real blog post, I want to share what God was showing me today as I did my devotions....
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom., to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguished between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
All these are the work of
one
and
the
same
Spirit.
He gives them to each one,
just as HE determines.
...but this is not just about talents. This is also appearance and personality; the things we like about ourselves and the things we hate. God has handpicked every little thing about us. He has sculpted us into the people we are... so why do we try so hard to change ourselves? (just a quick "disclaimer": If you don't like something about yourself and that thing is a result of sin, obviously God did not make you like that and you need to change it. Sin is a totally different story.)
To be honest, there are a lot of things I don't like about myself. I don't like my laugh or my lack of musical talent. I don't like my hair, or that I'm not a size 4. I don't like the sound of my voice on video and I don't like it that I have trouble focusing when I try to read (and there are many more things). But the same God that gave each of us gifts and talents is the same God that picked my dress size. He is the same God that hand picked my personality and my quirks. He was the one that decided that a friend giving me Pop Rocks could totally make my day, and he is the one that decided that I would have an obsession with Classic Disney movies and Elvis. I am a very unique person, and I might not always like that... but the moment I try to change myself, that is the moment that I am spitting in Gods face and trying to tell him that he made me wrong.
"HE determines" not me.
"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
BUT IN FACT
GOD HAS ARRANGED THE PARTS IN THE BODY,
EVERY ONE OF THEM,
JUST AS HE WANTED THEM TO BE."
(1 Corinthians 12:14-20)
This is a hard thing to accept sometimes. We are who we are because He wanted us to be this way. Its as simple as that. It often takes reminders, we often refuse to accept it, but there is no denying this fact.
You are sculpted by Him. Every little part of you; the things you like and the things you don't, he took time to make you perfect.
You are sculpted by Him. Every little part of you; the things you like and the things you don't, he took time to make you perfect.
Don't change what he took time to make.
Don't try to change his masterpiece.
If you have not heard this song yet, you need to hear it. It's amazing! Great sound and even better lyrics.
