May 11. 1 Corinthians 12. Mario Green

Am I Important?

Am I important? How often do we as people ask this question? I am pretty sure we have all done so on one or more occasions. Whether it was a thought or said aloud we have been in that situation. Well, I am here to tell you that God’s answer is yes! You are important and needed for something and by someone. God gave us all gifts that serve a purpose, and there’s someone in need of that gift you possess.

1 Corinthians 12 talks about spiritual gifts and that they were many different kinds but they all come from the same place. Do you ever wonder if the gifts you were given will have an impact or is worth anything? “1 Corinthians 12: 4. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.” 

So the thing that we have to realize is no matter how small of an impact you think your gift makes it has the same impact as someone who has a more used gift. A gift used more often does not mean it’s more important. Some people possess gifts that are used more often and some people possess gifts that do not need to be used as often. God wants us to know all gifts are of equal importance because they’re all meant to serve the same purpose.

Does my contribution matter? Am I really needed? You have enough help(people) right? Has this thought process gone through your mind before? Feeling like you had nothing to offer because you thought it would not change anything. “ 1 Corinthians 12: 12. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. To combat that negative thought, you may see yourself as one piece of a whole and without that piece, the whole will never be complete meaning you are needed. We are all one part of the body that makes it whole. “ 1 Corinthians 12: 15. Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16. 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 stop being part of the body.” You will not be used in the same way somebody else is because your gifts are different and just like the body you have to be used according to your function which is why you don’t use your ears to see and you don’t use your eyes to listen. Someone being used more than you should not stop you from using your gift to help. For example, we must realize the smallest part is still important like our thumbs yes they are small but are needed to properly grasp something. It is the same with our big toes: yes, they are small but without them, we will not be able to balance or walk correctly.

A lot of times we treat people and their gifts like body parts. We use and abuse them thinking we don’t need them to function but it’s not until we get injured (person leaves) that we realize the impact that small body part or body function (person) had on our normal day-to-day activities.

God wants us to understand whether it’s most used or least used you are still needed to carry out his plan for the world. If we don’t value each person and their contribution then we create division which leads to destruction. So let’s make sure we express to each other how important we are to one another so that no one feels that their gifts are unimportant. The moment we feel like that is when we stop using our God-given gifts.

There is someone out there who will never be who they are supposed to be until you are the best version of yourself. You can’t be the best version of yourself until you use your gift to its full potential. 

I hope this encourages you to think about the gifts you have and how to use them as God intended for them to be used.