I'm Different "What Now"

Recently I found out that I am much different from what I thought I was. As I sat in what is normally a very safe place for me, I began to hear those who spoke, make jokes about men who do the things I do and for the first time, I became embarrassed about who I am and what I do. I am sure that many of you out there have felt the same at one time or another, or maybe you feel that way all the time. So what do we do? If you have been a follower of my blog or facebook page for long, you know that I don't quote scripture to often, but I believe that this is a time where we need to see how God views us and what He thinks about those who are "different". This comes from a sermon that our Pastor recently delivered here is the scripture:

Romans 12:

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

Wow, how awesome is that, I'm different and God made me that way. Our Pastor showed us a picture of a neighborhood filled with houses that all looked the same and to tell you the truth, it felt good to see the picture, it was safe, it was unified, it was "normal". Then he showed a picture of a neighborhood filled with house's of every kind, large, small, beautiful, different, the picture did not bring the peace of mind that the other picture did, but the truth behind the pictures was the question that our Pastor asked "which of these pictures should the church be represented by?" My first thought was the first, it felt good, it looked unified, it was "normal", but in light of the verse above, it was the second picture. The second picture was still a neighborhood, it was still filled with people, but the difference was, that everyone was allowed to express themselves as they saw fit within the rules of the neighborhood.

God made each of us different and the reason for this, was so that we weren't all doing the same thing, but instead, each of us have a roll to play and therefore, all of us are needed. The sermon went on to show Scripture saying, "The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!", the truth is that all of us need each-other and if one part of our body is missing we are handicap.

So the title asked the question, I'm Different, "What Now", I say, find a place that needs your unique and wonderful qualities, plug yourself in and be the best "you" you can be. Don't be embarrassed about being different, it is those differences that God uses to make the body whole. More than that, remember that many will not accept or enjoy your differences, but know that without you, they are crippled. It's not easy being different, but anyone who has lost a toe or a finger, knows how much harder life is. However, before losing that part, that person probably didn't even give that finger or toe any notice at all, but it certainly made life a whole lot better. You matter!!! You are needed!!! So your different, good, get out there and "Make the Change"!!!

What Can I Do???

Happy New Year!!! Everyone who has a family or loved one's has probably felt the sting of the holidays on their checkbooks. For many going into debt is just part of the holiday tradition. This can cause serious problems for many people and it may be affecting those you know right now. The high interest rate on credit cards can make paying back all those great and awesome gifts you gave this year pretty hard. So you might ask yourself the question, what can I do about it???

Well, I have found a number of ways to help my friends, family and even neighbors out of a few financial struggles by giving them my talents for free or at a very generous rate. Just before the end of the year, I was able to use some spare parts I had in my basement, to help fix a computer of a couple who were looking at buying a new one because theirs wouldn't work anymore. My extra parts and talents saved them an extra 3 or 4 hundred dollars, since now they don't have to buy a new computer. I have also done many other things with my gift's, talents and skills to help over a dozen people or more this past year. I didn't do all of it for free, but I saved all of them a ton of money by giving them a parts only price. I am not saying this to get a pat on the back, but showing you that a poor guy like me, that is very limited on money, can give hundreds of dollars to people, without spending a dime. Another thing that we did this year, was make blankets, scarf's and hat's for all of our relatives for Christmas. Now you might think that cost a lot of money, but in fact, we barely had 40 dollars into all of the materials, because we found a company that was throwing away brand new fabric, two huge boxes full and we got the yarn for the hats and scarfs for barely a dollar a roll. This helped in two ways, it saved some of our relatives money on hats and scarf's this year, but it also allowed us to stay in the black this year and not go into debt at all during the holiday.

So when you consider helping someone, you don't always have to think, well how much money do I have to spare this month, but instead, find people who need your talents, gifts and skills and bless them with a monetary gift that didn't brake your bank, but helped save them from having to burn a hole in their pocket, due to a repair bill or winter gear they needed to buy. Remember, now is a great time to "Make the Change" in your little part of the world. Go ahead, what are you waiting for???!!!