SMLXL
Hello people of the world wide web, thank you for joining me on my venture into the world of blogging. This is something that has been on my mind for several months now, but I never thought it was the right time or that I had any of the right things to say. This past Sunday morning, I was sitting in church and it was as though the Holy Spirit grabbed my shoulders and shook me and said 'silly girl, don't you know I will give you all the right words?!' & so He did. I haven't taken notes that furiously since I was in high school trying to conquer math class. Five handwritten pages of notes and a vicious hand cramp later, and I am ready to share my thoughts with the world, and pray that someone stumbles upon them.
In the turmoil of the world today, our entire culture preaches division. Our differences are exploited and targeted rather than celebrated. Our innate beauty and divine gifts are hidden because they do not fit the mold of society. The criteria of beauty has become so distinct that it is unattainable for us flawed human beings. The prominence of social media in today's society urges us to fit into a cookie cutter image of the trendy youth. Or the stylish mom. Or the rebellious millennial. There is nothing in our world today that truly celebrates individuality. We are taught to be ourselves but then told, "wait, not like that."
The Holy Spirit has something to say about this. 1 Corinthians 12 says 'But in fact, the LORD has arranged all the parts of the body, every one of them, just in the way they were intended to be." To put this in context, we are all God's children. As his creation, we make up the body of Christ. We were once lost and lonely, but we have been baptized by the Spirit into one body. Not one of us is meant to serve as the whole body, each of us has a unique role for which we were created. I adore this metaphor because with the hate and division running rampant through this country, so many who claim the name 'Christian' have lost sight of what it truly means to belong to the body of Christ. They have let hate and discrimination pour through their veins so that there is no room for the love of God. For all those who are unclear about exactly who belongs to the body of Christ, here it is: "For we were all baptized by the One Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, We were all given the one Spirit to drink." 1 Corinthians 1:13 There you have it folks. There is no room for racism in God's kingdom. No room for hate, fear, jealousy, violence or vengeance. Those are all thoughts for another day, but the bottom line is that His perfect love should not only cast out fear, but all of the other toxic things that eat away at our minds and souls.
The basis of any sort of jealousy, racism, discrimination, bias, etc. is the judgement that one doesn't belong. Whether it be oneself, a certain people group, or a person in particular. The thing is that if any single human being on this Earth did not belong, we would not exist. We were not created by an accidental God. He does not make mistakes, he does not need first drafts before the final product. We serve an intentional God, and he has a purpose for each and every one of us as parts of the body of Christ. It is easy to look at others around us, and especially easy in the social media age to make comparisons and judge ourselves or others as less worthy of existence or of love. The bible says "The body is not made 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 does not cease to belong. If an eye should say 'because I am not an ear, I do not belong to the body,' it does not cease to belong. For if the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of sight be?' 1 Corinthians 12:16-20.
As far as being divided, can you imagine if part of your body refused to act alongside another part? If your legs suddenly decided they no longer wanted to be associated with your torso, and therefore stopped cooperating as they were created to? Or if they took it a step further and began to attack the rest of your body, causing harm and damage to be done. This sounds utterly absurd, right? Because it is. The body was meant to act in unity, with each part fulfilling its' role for the greater good. When one part is targeted or begins to target another, the body as a whole can no longer function as intended. It is no wonder we live in a world of chaos and destruction, with all the division amongst people created to be one. "There should be no division in the body, but that its' parts should have equal concern for one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:25. To those who think violence is the answer, or aggression is the way, I pray they will learn this. Violence towards a fellow man will hurt oneself. If we put hatred into this world, WE ALL SUFFER because we all have to live in a world full of the hatred we have filled it with.
The bottom line, love others as you love yourself, for we are all purposefully here. If your problem is not with loving the world, but loving who you are, remember to give yourself the same love you give away so freely. Every detail of your being was intentional. In a world full of never ending animosity, be the one who chooses love.
the world.