Who is actually more useful?

"Well, Julia, I'm more useful than you." This was Anson's rather shocking statement that was uttered the other night while they were supposed to be sleeping. They have all decided to sleep in the same room, so bedtime lasts a bit longer, but I do like them having such sweet friendships. Mike and I were standing at the door listening and couldn't believe that Anson would say such a thing! The even more shocking part was Julia's response, "Yeah, you can climb higher, snap louder..." She was agreeing that he was definitely more useful, more valuable than she was. I stood at the door and giggled at their conversation, but was saddened by their misunderstanding of what makes us valuable and Who deems us useful.

Am I more useful than you? We play that game don't we? We size each other up, check out how we do with keeping the corners of our house clean, kids in the gifted program, memorize scripture...I could go on and on. This is a fun game if we are the ones that everyone agrees can "climb higher." It's fun when your snap is heard around the world and everyone finds you to be useful and valuable. However, what happens when we aren't the best? What happens when our gifts can't be used and our friendship isn't as important? What do we do then? Well, we rebuke The Liar!

Several years ago I studied a verse that has stuck with me whenever I start playing this game. Want to know what it is? OK...2 Corinthians 10:12-13 "We do not dare to classify ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you." It's not wise to measure ourselves with another fallen human being. We'll either feel so good about ourselves that we will not need a Savior or we will feel so painfully worthless that we won't believe that He died for us.

Christ is what gives us our value. We measure ourselves by Him. We fail in comparison to His glory, and yet Romans teaches us that we are co-heirs because of our salvation! That is AMAZING! Another verse that I thought of while I was typing is found in 1 Corinthians 4:7 "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"

The truth is all of us can do something better or worse than someone else. I think all of us are familiar with the "parts of the body" passage. Let us not rob each other of our value by comparing ourselves, or let The Accuser tell us things that are not true. God teaches us that we are precious in His sight and honored and loved. Let's meditate on that. If you can climb higher, than you can help me reach what I cannot. If I can snap louder I can call for help when you get stuck!!!

Let's walk in the freedom that Christ has provided, that freedom to live in fellowship with Him and to be exactly who He has called us to be. SNAP!

A I currently playing one of Bebo Norman's songs over and over again, Disappear...here are my favorite lyrics:

I want to hide in You
The Way, the Life, the Truth
So I can disappear
And love is all there is to see
Coming out of me
And You become clear
As I disappear

I don't want to care about earthly things
Be caught up in all the lies that trick my eyes
They say it's all about me
I'm so tired of it being about me¦ (I always sing this really loud!!!)