Fitting in...

Ephesians 2:21-22   "...in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

Ephesians 4:16   "...from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."

Like many couples, my wife and I are opposites.  She is, by nature, neat and tidy, highly organized, structured, and usually sees things "black and white".  I, on the other hand, tend to be a slob,  loosely organized, spontaneous, and I perceive things more flexibly. Needless to say, in our 46+ years of marriage, there have been occasions when we frustrated each other.

God knows us both intimately -- He created us with these tendencies -- and He knew that we needed each other.  I can't imagine my life without her.  I would be a mess!  Over the years He has used our differences to temper one another and to "complete" us.  Together we are better; the sum is greater than the two parts. We've known each other since we were 15 and we are still in the process of becoming who God wants us to be, both as individuals and as a couple.  He is smoothing off the rough spots, is "fitting us together" and, as He does, our love for each other grows deeper and stronger.

God's Word describes the church in similar terms, both as a building and as a body.  In both pictures He is in the process of "fitting together" the individual pieces.  Paul, in describing the body of Christ (Romans 12,1 Corinthians 12), points out that each of us is uniquely designed and gifted by the Holy Spirit, and He has a specific function for each of us to perform.  Our differences,when controlled by Him, instead of tearing the body apart, make us stronger, more complete, able to function as He intends.

Just as I would be incomplete without my wife, so the church is lacking when members of the body merely "attend" or worse, withdraw and isolate themselves.  God designed us to be interdependent and, as Christians, we cannot fully become Who He intended us to be if we don't allow Him to "fit us in"  to the body.

Lord, I recognize that You did not design me to be alone.  Thank You for my lovely wife and for using her in your process of shaping me into Your image.  Thank you also for fitting us into Your body of believers and for using that relationship for Your glory.  Please help me today to show my gratitude so that others can see You in me.  Amen.