“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
God’s creation and all His works are rich with diversity and variety. This is true with God’s design of the human being. The human population on earth is around seven billion, and yet each one of us is different in our own individuality. Each human being is a center in displaying their own will and understanding, abilities, talents, interests, goals, destiny, etc. In today’s reading, Apostle Paul states that God has called each one of us for a specific mission and has endowed each one of us with a unique and distinct spiritual gift. Each one of us is graced with a special talent that we ought to express and put into service for the greater good. (cf. Ephesians 4:7) However, we often focus on the talents we do not possess, and as a result, we become discouraged by the things we do not have. This leads to the pitfall of comparing ourselves with others, which disables us from moving forward with what we actually do have. We may say to ourselves, “See how she is so graceful in her talents. But I do not have that skill. I am without this talent.” This change in focus immobilizes us for the task which is set before us.
There is no need to compare ourselves with others. Every human being is unique in his or her talents. Our faces, eyes, hands, fingerprints, and even our heartbeat cannot be replicated exactly as we have it. This uniqueness is God’s design for human beings He created in His image and likeness. Each person is exceptional and is called to a specific mission here on this earth. But when God calls each one of us to a particular mission or task, He also empowers and equips us to accomplish our work with success. The Apostle says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
Therefore, with a joyful heart let us express our gratitude to our Lord who is the sustainer of all things, and who freely and abundantly grants us the gifts of His Spirit. From the depth of our hearts may we plead to Him to open the eyes of our hearts to see the unique mission to which He has called us in this life, to express the gift which He grants us with His Holy Spirit in the service of God’s glory and for the common good.
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