Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Nobody likes to be reminded they aren’t perfect. And yet, we all know that’s the case.
When I spoke a few weeks back about Moses’ struggles with speech in Exodus 4:10-12, I mentioned that God gave us our imperfections to humble us and to show us that we must trust in Him to allow us to achieve what we have to achieve even without every gift.
That is an important lesson for us to absorb. None of us have all the gifts needed to achieve anything, and yet, we are all capable of great achievement because God is there to make up the difference. God expands us and fills in where our very noticeable cracks are. We are imperfect, but through God, we can still accomplish anything.
God has designed us with these imperfections partly to remind us of His presence. If you were perfect, how often do you think you would be thanking God for what you have? More likely, you’d be demanding more. Our imperfection draws us to God. Our imperfections leads us towards the one, true perfection.
But there is another purpose in our imperfection, and that can be seen in the verses from 1 Corinthians 12 above. An important key to our imperfection is that we are more perfect together. Each of us has our weaknesses. We know them in ourselves, we see them in others. But we all, also, have our strengths. God’s gifts are spread through the whole of humanity, so that our search for greater perfection leads not just to Him but to our friends, our family, our neighbors, and strangers as well.
This is part of the glory of church: its ability to increase my faith and your faith by putting our faiths together. Likewise, my gifts shared with your gifts allow us to achieve even greater things. Moses may have led his people out of Egypt, but he needed Aaron and Zipporah and Joshua and many others by his side to lead them to the Promised Land.
Imperfection means we need each other. It means we have to rely on God and community to get beyond our shortfalls. As Paul says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
With Easter just behind us, it also behooves us to remember that only one man has ever been born perfect. Jesus Christ was the only man ever able to save humanity on His own, to face down the devil on His own, to lead humanity all on His own; and even He chose to make His way in a community, to live amongst people, and to bring people closer together.
We would do well to heed that lesson and appreciate more the gifts others bring to us. We are better for having others along with us. No matter our successes or our failures, God wants us to share it all with family, friends, and community.
