Day 20: Different by Design

Focus Area - REACH IN
Stretching Toward One Another

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:4-27

Reflection: Unity does not erase difference; it celebrates God-given identity so every gift can strengthen the body.

Expanded Focus:
One of the most powerful truths I learned later in life was this: we were never meant to look, sound, think, or operate the same. One of the biggest mistakes I made was trying to be like others and abandoning who God uniquely designed me to be. As a millennial leader, I want to encourage today’s reader to be who God created you to be. The church, the community, and the world need you to show up in your fullness. I grew up in a traditional Baptist church setting where it sometimes felt like being different was dangerous or even demonic. But now I see clearly, difference is not a threat; it is divine.

Diversity in unity is God’s design. God never intended for His people to be carbon copies; He intended us to be a living tapestry of gifts, backgrounds, and personalities that reveal His glory in unique ways. Our diversity is not a problem; it’s Heaven’s strategy. It is diversity that God uses to reach people right where they are and lead them to where He wants them to be. When we look throughout scripture, we see a pattern: God consistently uses people who are different. Individuals like John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, and Paul were seen as unusual, unworthy, or even unholy, yet God used their stories for His will. Their lives remind us that our differences never disqualify us.

The Apostle Paul tells us in our key passage that although we all belong to one body, we each have different gifts, different functions, and different strengths. The eye is not the ear. The hand is not the foot. And yet, every part is needed. Every part is valuable. Every part was crafted with purpose. Unity does not require sameness; it requires surrender. It requires each of us to bring our differences to the table so the whole body can function.

The moment you embrace who you truly are, you step into freedom.

From as far back as I can remember, I became overly enamored with a certain person. I wanted to be just like them. But one day, a seasoned veteran in life told me, “The moment you find your purpose, you’ll finally see the people you’re called to help.” Now that I understand my gift and who I am, I am unstoppable.

Questions to Consider:
1. In what ways have you tried to look, act, or live like someone else instead of embracing who God designed you to be?
2. What unique gifts, strengths, or experiences has God given me that I have overlooked or undervalued?
3. Who in my life challenges me, stretches me, or inspires me because of their God-given uniqueness?