Neither Pity nor Shame

I can not speak for all, but I ask when it comes to the state of childlessness (whether by choice or infertility), neither look with pity nor shame.  Children are a gift from God, but does not God's Spirit distribute all His gifts differently?  ^"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work...All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11)  Is my life lacking because I have not the gift or experience of children?  Should I be upset with God because He has not healed my womb and given me such a gift?  I believe the answer is no.

God's hand is evident in my life, bring good to me and blessing me beyond measure, for he is drawing me to Himself.  I enjoy the children, of others, in my life and His gifts are for our enjoyment, as Paul explained in 1 Timothy 6:17, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."  But we must remember that no gift is greater than the giver.  Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions or experiences (Luke 12:15)  It is God Himself who is our greatest reward. (Genesis 15:1)

Christ came to reconcile us to God, and to share the message of reconciliation through us, not so we could have everything we want here on earth. "¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:17-20) 

This world is not my home.  I am but an alien and stranger passing through on my way to my true home.  A home beyond anything I can ask or imagine.  My home is not where I hang my hat, but where Christ is.  On day He will come back and take me to be with Him there.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3)  Until that day I will continue to be transformed into His likeness, learning to treasure the Father and enjoy His gifts, not demand them. 

As I trust the goodness of God, I can see beauty in the variety of our lives and not insist that we all be the same.  Jesus is the only way, but as we walk with Him, some of us will skip, some will run and some of us will dance along the way!  So it is my hope that when you look at my life and others, you see not what may be missing in earth's experience, but the glory of Christ shining in the beauty of who He has made us to be.

Kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope is a cylinder with mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off of the mirrors. Coined in 1817 by Scottish inventor Sir David Brewster,^[1] "kaleidoscope" is derived from the Ancient Greek καλός (kalos), "beautiful, beauty",^[2] εἶδος (eidos), "that which is seen: form, shape"^[3] and σκοπέω (skopeō), "to look to, to examine",^[4] hence "observation of beautiful forms." ^{[5] from Wikipedia}


So much talk these days about diversity, tolerance and individualism.  They are hailed as the way to a better society.  So where is this better society?  I think the answer lies not in the individual, but in community, not in tolerance, but unity.  The answer lies in Christ.

The world is full of people with a variety of personalities, gifts and talents.  Alone these remain fractured and unimpressive, like a single pebble or bead.  However, when they are unified in Christ, they become a beautiful form...a kaleidoscope.

For without Christ it is darkness, but when He comes, His light shines and His life is reflected off His people, infusing our personalities, gifts and talents with the radiance of His glory.  His character, His love, peace, joy, goodness, faithfulness, etc.  is what is observed and the world sees something of beauty and desires it.

Unity is not in being exact replicas of one another, but each one surrendered to the life of Christ in him or her and reflecting that life to others.  Community is supporting one another and encouraging that surrender, appreciating the uniqueness and beauty it produces.