Small but Neccessary Part

In San Diego we got to visit the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, tour all its intricate parts, and learn about how they launched and landed aircraft, among other things.  It was awesome and definitely a highlight of our trip.  But the one thing I have taken away is this: that this huge ship, with over 4000 people on board, was a huge lesson in team work. To make it all happen each person had a job, one they must carry out exactly to order.  Even the mundane or menial jobs, like cooking or laundry, needed to be done to keep everything going.  No one person could survive without the other. No one person could be lazy or slack in their job.

It was a tangible example to me of the importance of everyone living out their different roles for the glory of the whole.  In my Christian life I have encountered within my heart, a less than willing spirit to do that which seems mundane, anticlimactic, or non-essential.  There have been times when I ached for the natural ability or gifting of someone else, simply because it seemed more useful or more "crowd pleasing."

I read these verses the other day:
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 3:10
"So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Romans 12:5-6
I find it so ironic that we all ache to stand out and be different yet spend SO much time trying to be just like someone else...
Today I am going to remember that aircraft carrier, and try to embrace the fact that my calling in life is different than many others.  And in that way, I can work my part of the ship to the best of my ability.