Which Blue?

Devotion for the Week...

Imagine you have blocks made and assembled into a quilt top center, but you still need to figure out the border. You decide a singe, wide blue border would perfectly frame the center you have pieced. Of course, that's not the end of the decision-making. Because there are so many amazing fabrics available, 'blue' just begins to narrow down the possibilities.

There are light blues, dark blues, medium blues, green-blues and purple-blues. There are floral prints, geometric prints, solids, marbled and ombre. Prints can be large-scale or small-scale, tone-on-tone or multi-coloured.

These are only the blues available in my 1 1/2" scrap bag!

A trip to the fabric store can set your head to spinning as you try to figure out which fabric suits your quilt best. It's so much fun laying fabrics by the quilt, seeing which one is too light or too dark, too busy or too bland. Then the joy of finding the 'just right' fabric, the one that makes the rest of the quilt feel complete.

Just as there is a myriad of different blue fabrics, so there is a myriad of different people. God made some of us musicians, some excellent cooks, some detail-oriented and some who love to visit seniors or the sick. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:27, 28) So, not everyone does the same thing well, and that is exactly the way God planned it.

After listing all those possible roles, Paul continues, "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (vv 29, 30) The implied answer is Of course not! What would the world be like if everyone had the same talents? Without pastors, our churches would lack the teaching of God's word. Without those who are good with numbers, our finances would be in a shambles. Without those who love to visit others, many who can't leave their homes would spend their days in lonely isolation.

Earlier in the same chapter, Paul also says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."(vv 4-6) Note that Paul writes 'the same God works all of them in all men.' All men. Now, I take 'men' here to be the general, meaning mankind, not the specific, meaning males. In all of us, male or female, God is working through the special gifts and abilities He gave us.  None are left out. None are without abilities given by God to be used for His purposes and glory.

When I am trying to find a fabric to suit my quilt, I am limited to what I can find either in a local store or an online retailer. I may have to settle for something that isn't exactly what I had hoped to find. But when God created us, He was not limited in any way. He never has to settle, making do with a talent that isn't quite right. To each one of us, He gives the exact skills and abilities we need for the role He would have us fill. This doesn't mean we never have to work at improving our skills. Even when given the ability to play piano, a musician must practice and work hard to hone that craft. So it is for other talents God has given.

Think about this - based on who you are and what you do well, what role might God be asking you to fill? Are you doing that? And remember, no one is left without a talent and a related kind of service.