Differences

“In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t…” Romans 12:4-6 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/rom.12.4-6.MSG

This passage got me thinking about how I put expectations on my husband, to be and act a certain way (mostly MY way).  

I can become irritated by our differences, trying to change him to be “more like me”.

This passage teaches me that if we were in fact the “same”, then we would fall well short of a “whole body”.  

It reminds me to be grateful. To appreciate his strengths and weaknesses AND my own. To see the many places where we fill the gaps in each other.

Our strengths and our weaknesses are like pieces in a jigsaw, fitting together. Marvelously functioning parts of the whole…

We are supposed to be different.

‘…let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t…” [or trying to change others]

Photo by Vardan Papikyan on Unsplash