For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. Romans 12:4 (NKJV)
I sometimes compare myself with friends in an unfavorable light. I wish I had the talent to knit like Marie does. Why don’t I enjoy cleaning as much as Betty? If I’m not careful, I may covet someone else’s talents.
And then I consider heroes who inspire me, but I’m not jealous of them: humanitarian Mother Teresa, author and speaker Helen Keller, and civil rights leader Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., a minister who used his gifts of leadership and speech to lift up the downtrodden.
Dr. King received his bachelor’s degree in sociology at age nineteen and his doctorate at age twenty-six. He could’ve chosen a prestigious career. Instead, he followed God’s call to engage the powerful weapons of prayer, words of reconciliation, and peaceful demonstrations. King brought light into the darkness for millions. He changed the world.
I may never implement the changes made by Dr. King. Yet Jesus calls me to make a positive difference with the gifts He’s given me. I can use my talent of communication to help change a heart from despair to hope. I can employ my flair for humor to help a timid person feel at ease.
Dr. King said it best himself: “Everybody can be great . . . because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Like Dr. King, all of us have been given the opportunity to serve in our own unique ways—ways that will change the world.
Faith Step: Ask Jesus to help you utilize your special gifts to make a positive difference in someone’s life and the world.
