Have you ever looked at someone else and wondered why God made you so differently?
Why do they seem to be able to do something so easily when you struggle with it? Why do they communicate in a way you don't? Why does their personality seem to fit one situation perfectly while you feel completely out of place in the same situation?
And perhaps the better question is this: What if God never intended for you to be built like them in the first place?
I like to use stories, pictures, or real-life comparisons to discuss what life in Christ can be like. I understand that some people do not care for that kind of thing, while others are genuinely encouraged by these kinds of words.
Growing up, I was always trying to find a place where I could love and be loved. I think most humans are interested in community and in having life bonds with other people. In my search for closeness with others, I have learned some valuable lessons. I won’t make this post about all of them, because we would be here a while. I will, however, share something I have learned along the way that encourages me every time I think about it.
I have been close with people who, although we are in Christ and of the one household of God, are completely different from me in personality, interests, demeanor, and so many other ways.
The differences in our behavior do not mean we cannot get along. It just means we might do things differently than someone else.
For my example, I want to talk about the raven vs. the crow.
If you have been reading my blog for over a year, or if you listen to any of my videos, you will see that I use the raven as sort of a signature. I once shared an entire blog piece on why I chose to do that, but I still do it. If someone asks, “Is that a crow?” My answer will be, “Close, but a little different than a crow. It’s a raven.”
Let me highlight some of those differences regarding both corvids.
First, both birds maintain just about the same speed while in the air. However, the raven can reach a higher top speed and dive faster than a crow. The raven can also fly significantly higher and longer than a crow, using techniques like soaring to make the flight almost effortless.
Not so with the crow, which is unable to fly as high or as long as the raven. So, if you compared them flying side by side, the crow would be flapping its wings, making a long flight more strength-exhausting, while the raven would be using wind currents and soaring to cover a longer stretch.
Which leads me to how each was built.
The raven was created with a longer wingspan, allowing for long-duration flights without having to constantly exert energy by flapping its wings. The crow was built with shorter wings and a different shape entirely, meaning it does not stay airborne for as long without needing to rest and gather more energy.
Neither bird is defective.
Neither bird is trying to be the other.
They are simply built differently.
And yet, both birds are beneficial.
Crows and ravens do things that benefit the environment around them. They eat pests. They help clean up what would otherwise be left to decay. They carry and hide seeds, and some of those seeds will eventually grow into something new.
I really like that picture.
They plant seeds, but they don't get to decide what happens to those seeds after they are planted.
That sounds familiar to me.
As children of God, we are called to sow. We are called to speak about the goodness of God. We are called to encourage one another, love one another, serve one another, and make disciples. We plant seeds in people all the time, sometimes without even realizing we are doing it.
But what happens after we plant the seed?
That belongs to God.
We do not get to decide which seed will take root, when it will grow, or what it will eventually become.
And perhaps this is one of the reasons we need to stop looking at one another and wondering why we aren't built the same.
God is the Creator.
He is the One who decided that the raven would have one kind of wing and the crow another. He is the One who gives His creatures different abilities and places them where they belong.
And He does the same thing with us.
I am not built like the crow.
I am more like the raven in my lane of influence. There are things I naturally see, ways I communicate, things that stir my heart, and ways I am able to reach people that may not be the way someone else does it.
But I need to be careful even in saying that, because none of what I am able to do is something I can take credit for.
Whatever ability I have comes from God.
Whatever strength I have comes from God.
Whatever endurance I have comes from God.
And if there is anything good being carried through my life, it is because His Spirit gives me the ability to carry it.
There are many areas of my life where I feel weak. There are things I cannot do the way I would like to do them. There are times when my flesh reminds me just how limited I really am.
But there is something I have noticed.
When it comes to carrying the witness and message God has placed on my heart, I can keep going farther than I thought I could.
I can soar when I should have already become tired.
I can keep carrying the message when I feel like I have nothing left to give.
I can remain when I might otherwise faint.
Not because I am some special kind of person.
Not because I am stronger than somebody else.
Not because I have figured something out that everyone else has missed.
It is because the Spirit of God gives me the ability to do what He has called me to do.
That is the part I never want to miss.
The raven does not soar because it decided it was better than the crow.
It soars because the Creator gave it wings designed for that kind of flight.
And if God has given me a particular assignment, He is also the One who gives me what I need to carry it.
That does not make me better than someone else.
It makes me dependent upon Him.
The person who does not communicate like me is not doing it wrong.
The person who reaches people differently than I do is not less effective.
The person whose personality is completely different from mine is not somehow less useful in the Kingdom of God.
God has built us differently, and He gives according to what He has purposed us to do.
Imagine if the crow spent its life wishing it had the wings of a raven. It would spend all of its time looking at what it could not do instead of doing what it was created to do.
And what if we do the same thing?
What if we spend so much time comparing our lane of influence to someone else's that we never fully walk in our own?
There are people who need what you carry.
There are people who may hear something from you that they would never have heard from someone else.
There are people you may be able to reach because of your personality, your experiences, your way of communicating, your patience, your boldness, your creativity, your compassion, or even the things you have walked through.
But even those things are gifts.
They are not trophies.
They are not reasons to boast.
They are things we can place back into the hands of the One who gave them to us.
That does not make you better than someone else.
It means you are different from someone else.
And different can be a beautiful thing when we are all moving in the same direction.
We are of the same family.
We belong to the same household.
We have one Lord, one faith, one Spirit, and one purpose.
We do not have to look alike, sound alike, think alike in every earthly way, or do everything the same way in order to be united in Christ.
In fact, our differences can become part of the beauty of how the Gospel spreads.
One person plants.
Another waters.
Another encourages.
Another teaches.
Another serves quietly behind the scenes.
Another opens a door.
Another speaks boldly.
Another sits beside someone who is hurting and simply stays.
We may have different lanes of influence, but we are not traveling toward different destinations.
We are being brought into the one mind found in Christ by the Spirit.
So embrace how God made you.
Don't apologize for the things that make you different, and don't try to become someone you were never created to be.
Learn from one another. Honor one another. Make room for one another.
And then go plant your seeds.
You don't have to know what will happen to them.
You don't have to make them grow.
You don't have to compare your field to somebody else's.
Just be faithful with what God has placed in your hands.
And when you feel weak, remember where your ability comes from.
When you feel like you cannot keep going, remember who gives strength to the weary.
When you feel like you have nothing left to carry, remember that you were never meant to carry His work in your own strength.
The raven doesn't need to become a crow, and the crow doesn't need to become a raven.
They are both birds.
They are both useful.
They are both part of the world God created.
And they both have a place in His creation.
So do we.
Not because we are extraordinary in ourselves.
But because we have an extraordinary Creator who knows exactly what He made us for.
And if He has given you something to carry, trust Him for the strength to carry it.
If He has given you seeds to plant, plant them.
If He has called you to soar, soar.
If He has called you to stay close to the ground and faithfully do what is in front of you, do that.
Whatever the assignment, the glory belongs to the One who gave it.
Now go.
Do the next thing.
🖤