Hmm...
If I am not the center of the world then that means I am simply a part of it. It means that everything still keeps happening whether I choose to participate or not. It means that I am a little part of a bigger picture.
As I was pondering these thoughts this morning the verses in 1 Corinthians 12 came to mind...
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up 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 would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would your body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body."
Just simply reading those verses was kind of a smack in the face... Often times, I can be pretty self-centered, I will admit that. My thought process normally goes something along the lines of, "Well if they don't need me then they won't talk to me then they don't like me then they don't hang out with me then I am all alone."
WAKE UP CALL.
We are all different "parts," for lack of a better term. We are all so completely different. My friends and I all play a different role. Even the friends that I have that are super similar to me, we are still like an eye and and ear to each other. If we didn't have one another, the "body" would not be whole... But just because we have all of the part, and I am one of those parts, does not mean that I am needed at all times. Nor does it mean that when I am not needed, that I do not belong. I mean if you think about it... We have a liver, kidneys, large intestine, and bladder. (Yes, I do know we have NUMEROUS other body parts but these are what came to mind...) Now, do we use these ALL the time? Absolutely not. (Although I'm sure pregnant women would beg to differ on the latter!)
The same goes with the major body parts that are seen on a regular basis... Most everyone has two feet, two hands, two hands, two ears, a nose, and a mouth. Do we use these ALL the time? The answer, once again, is absolutely not. When I am reading a book, chances are I am not using my sense of smell, nor am I using my feet to turn the pages. Does this mean that they are useless? NO! If I didn't have my feet, then I would not be able to stroll along the beach on a beautiful day... I wouldn't be able to go get pedicures... If I didn't have my nose, I wouldn't be able to smell the delicious desserts that are baking in the oven.
All of the body parts have a different function. The same goes for every single person.My dreams are:
To get married
Have children
Teach first grade
Live in a foreign country (Nicaragua!!!)
Just because those are MY dreams does NOT mean they are everyone else's dreams. Even the friends that I have that are the same major as me... We all differ because we have different dreams in regards to our Elementary Education major. We all have the same goal, which is to teach younger children. And it's the same with our body... The goal of our body is to keep it all unified and together. But we all have different functions, different jobs, different roles.
Just because I might want to do something, does not mean that everyone else wants to do something. Or just because I am not needed at the exact moment that I FEEL like I should be needed, doesn't meant that I'm not loved or cared for. It simply means that I'm on "rest mode." If we were needed at all times, in all manners of life, we would burn out right quick. That's why God gave us things such as margin--so that we do have that time where we are to ourselves.. NOT needed by anyone else.
God has made me a little part in this big realm of the world. He arranged me in a way that I am right where He desires me to be. Does that mean I am in a perfect place? Absolutely not. I have a LOT of growing and learning to do... But it does still mean that I am a part of His plan.
My line of reasoning is this...
I am on vacation right now... Am I furthering the work of God's kingdom by sitting on the beach, soaking up the sun, while reading romance novels? Probably not. Does it mean that I am not in God's plan because I am doing that? Absolutely not. I truly believe that God gives us moments like these to recognize the beauty that He has placed around us and to just sit back and relax. That's exactly what I plan on doing. Now when I go home, I am still a part of His plan, even in Bristol, Tennessee. It's now up to ME to further that plan there. No, it does not mean that I am the center. It means I am a part of showing Christ to everyone around me. (For those of you that know my big struggle right now, you will know what I am referring to...)
There has to be unity. If one person were the center of this earth, it would mean that everyone has to respond to them. THAT'S CHRIST. There is a center of this earth...
And it's NOT me.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:2-3
