Out of Place



      "So...that's why my favorite teddy bear Snickles is like...Jesus..."
      I stood in the tiny summer camp classroom, three teen guys staring up at me with blank looks on their bewildered faces.
      Well, that was one of the most humiliating experiences of my summer...I thought as I drove away from the school building.
      I had been expecting to teach a fun devotion to some eager-to-learn kids, not be stared down by some hardened teenagers. Somehow, even though I had known that I was going to be teaching middle-schoolers, I assumed that they were going to be like every other middle-schooler I had met. Boy, was I wrong. The summer camp was for kids whose parents couldn't afford other summer adventures or wanted to get rid of them for the day- not exactly the sorts of kids that I'm used to.
     While I definitely learned some things from my interesting experience that warm summer morning, I was sure of one thing: I never wanted to go back. I had been completely out of place.
      On the other hand, I performed at a nursing home yesterday. My hour and twenty minutes of ragtime, classical piano, singing and hymns brought joy to each resident. The coordinator was wishing me well when she looked over at one of the residents.
      "Oh, she's smiling! She never smiles. You must've been really great!" she assured me.
      I had felt painfully uncomfortable with the teens at the day camp, yet elderly folks made me feel right at home. Sound strange? Let me explain what I've learned.
      Jesus has a perfect place for each of us in the body of Christ. That place is specific, unique, and tailor-made just for us. Once we fill our place, it's like the final puzzle piece being pushed into position. One of the ways that we can know what we're destined to do on this earth is by examining our daily situations- do I feel like I'm right where I belong, or do I want to run away screaming and hide in a hole? (It's an accurate test every time, believe me.)
      This is not to say that God won't place us in awkward situations to teach us things, but I believe that when we find our destiny, at least for the time being, we will always feel that we belong.


"And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." Ephesians 1:22-23