It's raining as I type this. God is watering is beautiful creation and, thankfully, my garden, flower beds and lawn. That's something I have had to do myself a lot lately since it hasn't rained much prior to this for about a month. Typically I water about every two or three days, and if I miss one watering, my Black-Eyed Susans are the first to complain, shriveling and drooping.
But one thing I have never watered, not once, in my yard, are my crepe (crape) myrtle trees. It's because they grow like weeds here in Alabama. They are everywhere and nearly every one of my neighbors has one color of crepe myrtles in their yard - white, fushia, red, light purple or pink. They are just gorgeous and start blooming right about now. The interesting thing about crepe myrtles is you can prune them to the trunk and they will spout new branches, flowers and all, each summer to just the height you want. Some have gigantic crepe myrtles in their yards, and others have several all pruned to a shorter height to keep their blossoms at eye level. Little more than a month ago, you'd find these pruned crepe myrtles everywhere and they looked so strange, with stumpy trunks all over town like someone had tried to kill them by removing all their branches. But then they sprout leafy branches and not long after those gorgeous blossoms hanging like grape clusters all over.
The crepe myrtle was made for this climate ... as are the azaleas, dogwoods, magnolias, gardenias, mimosas and roses. They thrive here, and beautifully. All these gorgeous blooms to bring a smile to my face, yet one of my most favorite flowering bushes can't grow here. It's the lilac. It's just too warm for it here. I miss seeing the hundreds of lilac bushes all over our former state residence of Wisconin. And I miss their amazing fragrance.
The crepe myrtle was designed for this growing zone, just like the lilac is for climates further north. Neither survive in the other's climate.
This got me thinking about Christ's church and how Paul compares its members to various parts of the body, each designed to do something different. He talks about it in 1 Corinthians 12. "God arranged the members in the body, each of them, as He chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?" Paul asks in verses 18 and 19. An eye can't do an ear's job and an arm can't do the job of the brain and so on. He's expanding on his discussion of spiritual gifts and how God has created each person with specific gifts to do certain jobs for building up His Kingdom. Some have the gift of hospitality, service, leading, teaching, preaching, etc. Not everyone can do every gift.
Christian women's Bible study creator Beth Moore has laughing recalled how when she was first called by God to a ministry, she thought she was to be a singer. She is an outstanding Bible Study writer, and I have been blessed by her more than a dozen thorough studies. I know I am further along in my spiritual life because of her Bible studies, there's no doubt. How much I would have missed if she would have become a singer! Her success would have probably been the same as my tropical palm tree that didn't survive our 17-degree temperatures this winter.
Then I think of the late Rich Mullins whose gift it certainly was to write and sing Christian music. You are probably aware of his classic song "Awesome God." It was his song "Calling Out Your Name" that brought me deep into the fold of Christian music ... eventually leading me years later to a new ministry as a midday host of a Christian music station.
Praise God for our different spiritual gifts! Praise God for how we use those gifts to bring God's children into a deeper relationship with Him!
What are your talents? How can you use those gifts to glorify our Father and encourage His precious children? If we develop those areas, those ministries will grow and flourish ... like crepe myrtles in Alabama or lilacs in Wisconsin, just as God arranged.
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