Little clothes, big clothes, I fold the basketfuls of laundry that are always awaiting me. The dishes that once enveloped my sink are put away. The house is picked up to the best it will be for now. There has been many opportunities to teach and love my kiddos, and the day is not done.

My husband is working hard outside, preparing for Spring, shopping for supplies to fix the house, and marking things off the endless checklist.

The kids are independently putting away their own laundry, after we had a splendid “make your own PBJ day”, the lunch of champions. They have had time to play and laugh, and be kids strewn throughout the day.

As we work, and push and strive to be a cohesive unit, I am reminded how everyone contributing is a necessary cog to keep this family afloat. Filling roles that need to be filled. I am to the point in my life, with three kids and a fourth bun in the oven, that I tell my kids, “Mommy can’t do this all on her own, we all need to work together as a team.”

I feel like shouting a similar message to fellow believers sometimes, “We need to work together as a team!” Each believer is intricately needed and purposeful in the body of Christ.  Just like a family, the body of Christ runs so much smoother when everyone is sharing their gifts, pulling their weight, and offering their piece of the puzzle.

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Luke 10:2

For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

1 Corinthians 12:14-18

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

1 Corinthians 12:2

What are your personalized Gifts and Talents?

What are your gifts and talents? Can you sing? Can you teach? Where is your sphere of influence that is specific for you? We each have a circle of friends that we can encourage to love God with their whole heart, mind and soul. We need to stay attentive and aware of the opportunities all around us.

Challenge: Pray about your specific giftings this week and ask for direction where to use them

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

Col. 3:23

What are things from your past that can be shaped and molded into purpose, using the pain it once carried, to breath life into today. Is there a trial you can use to empathize with others who are experiencing the same thing? Is there a mistake you can use to help deter others down that same road?

We need to lay ourselves bare, vulnerable allowing God to use us, to fill us. This enables us to fill our much needed role in the body of Christ.

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

What is everyone in the body of Christ called to?

There are many things that we are each personalized called to do, based on our giftings, but then there are other things that everyone has to step up to the plate and do. These things do not always come easy. I know this from experience, as I am constantly drawn out of my comfort zone, sometimes kicking and screaming.

Love God and love your neighbor

Seems easy right? People love when you show them love, and yet when you dive into what true love is, you realize it is more than just superficially agreeing with people, or doting people with gifts. It is wanting and doing what is best for another, even if it is telling them something they don’t want to hear. It is showing them undeserved love and compassion; encouraging and helping them on this journey of life. If you keep love on the forefront of your mind, all your other tasks will flow with a heart that God desires. This definitely requires a lot of prayer.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37-38

Teach others about God

Who is God? Have you experienced the lifechanging impact of God in your own life? (Are you going to Heaven) If so, you need to share that hope with others. Sometimes we can be so willing to share our knowledge or passion for anything from coffee to our favorite music, but we grow hesitant or weak when sharing our convictions about God. This should not be.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

Encourage and hold each other accountable

Don’t just say you care about people, go out of your way to encourage them, focusing on their strengths and beauty, and standing along side them to help them grow into a strong woman of God. Loving them enough to correct them if they are doing something that will draw them away from God, letting them know, “I love you, I care about you, lets work together as a team and finish the race together.”

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.

2 Timothy 4:2