“Just as a body, though one has many parts, but all its
many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all
baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or
Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even
so the body is not made up of one part but of
many.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Today,
like most days, I got out of bed early, made some coffee and sat down to read
my Bible and other studies. I discovered Rick Warren’s A Purpose Driven Life years ago, but because I tend to lose
focus at times of the “oh look, there’s a bunny” variety, I’ve never finished
the book. The point of it is to take a forty day journey into self-discovery
and develop a closer relationship with God. I'm really liking the book because
it puts things in my life into perspective.
I’m on
day four so far (fingers crossed), titled “Made to Last Forever.” I read about
how we aren’t made for just the here and now but are made to serve God’s
purpose into eternity. This earth is only the starting point in our journey of
what’s to come. Rick Warren describes what we should be focused on in terms of
eternity instead of what we typically focus on in our short lives here.
So I
started thinking about my own purpose and talked to God for about an hour
before I believe He gave me an epiphany about what I was saying. I thought of
an iceberg and the typical analogy about the surface being only a small part of
the whole. Then, I pictured a basketball net situated directly above the top of
the iceberg. Strange I suppose, but it made sense the more I thought about it.
As we
know, there is only a small sheet of ice sticking out of the water in
comparison to the rest on the top of an iceberg. I think of people as a unit as
the surface layer and God as the remainder bringing us all together into one
piece of ice joined with Him. Though people make up only a fraction of the
bulk, our purpose in being here is nonetheless very important. We are One, and
every flake of snow sticks together in a snowball of purpose; every shot we
make in the net above adds to the score board.
The game
of basketball is made up of teams. Each member is important, no matter what
their position, to the overall success of winning the game. Each point adds to
the ultimate victory in the end, and as long as the team focuses on this goal
they’ll play successfully. In sync, the team is unstoppable, and the work the
coach puts into ensuring each player develops the strength and skill to play
their position shows.
When people
serve their God-given purpose in life, they make continuous perfect shots into
the net above the iceberg. Their efforts are added to the surface steadily
growing its mass over time. Every single shot matters because we are brought
together as individuals serving one singular purpose of advancing God’s kingdom
bringing each of us a sense of fulfillment in what we do. We are truly one
body, and when the group succeeds, it benefits all. Shot after shot, our
snowballs help solidify the surface of the iceberg as we offer our unique gifts
to it.
I firmly
believe that all people want to be loved and accepted for what they bring to
the world. They want to know that who they are matters. Nobody wants to feel or
be seen as a nobody. We weren’t designed by our awesome Creator to be losers,
but unfortunately many don’t see the value in themselves. They believe the lies
they’ve heard about who they are, or they’ve been pushed down too many times by
life’s circumstances and heartbreak to feel worthy of more.
What many
don’t understand is that they personally have something unique to offer this
world, something only they are capable of giving it. Their position on the team
matters. Even when someone chooses not to play the game, their decision
pertaining to the whole of humanity makes a difference. Getting side-tracked
and choosing to follow the important things of this world instead of their true
purpose for eternity matters. Every choice we make either adds to the top of
the iceberg or it doesn’t, and playing half-heartedly will not help the team.
Half-hearted attempts to participate take away from the whole point of the
game.
You might
say that the contribution you make in the game doesn’t really make a
difference. Think of it this way though; if everyone else felt the same way,
what would happen? Nothing, that’s what. We’d all be sitting on the benches or
in the audience wondering where the players are. There’d be no game. We'd
automatically forfeit by not showing up.
God gave
us the gift of free will to be used as we choose. Granted, there are times when
we must take a break and sit on the side-lines because we are too tired or to
give someone else a chance to shine, but we aren’t supposed to stay there
indefinitely. We have to make an effort to get back in the game when we’re
ready. We have to add to the mound of solidarity on the iceberg that purposeful
work brings.
The enemy
in this world doesn’t want us to know about any of this. He is the star player
of the opposing team trying to score on us in any way that he and his teammates
can. He plays dirty, not caring about being fair or playing by the rules. He’s
the bully who knocks you to the ground when you play.
But,
there’s good news! The leader of humanity’s team is Jesus Christ, and by
playing honestly and by the rules, He has already claimed the victory of our
team. By choosing to follow His lead, we discover the good gifts God's given
us. Only He shows us our unique purpose in being here. The only other option is
to keep maneuvering around the court hoping to get the chance to shine. The
choice is yours. Do you want the sure thing, or do you want to play aimlessly
wondering whether you’ll make a difference in the score?
The
iceberg is our court. God is our coach. He watches from the side cheering us on,
knowing that if we work together in unity we can accomplish all that He created
us for. The word ‘loser’ isn’t part of His team’s vocabulary. With His sure
guidance, the result is nothing but net. As one body, we have the ability to
bury the enemy under the snow pile of our success, and with the help of our
team captain, Jesus Christ, the enemy and his teammates will be pushed to the
edge of the iceberg forced into the water of the frigid sea. I don’t know about
you, but defeating the enemy never looked so good.
Source
"BibleGateway." 1 Corinthians 12 NIV - -
Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2017.
Warren, Richard. The
purpose-driven life: what on earth am I here for? Lake Forest, CA: PurposeDriven, 2002. Print.
