| The Best Things in Life |
Chapter 14 |
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So it is in the church. No one person can do everything that needs to be done. The fullest life is only a fragment. Jesus Christ had in his life all virtues and graces. He was perfect man, not sinless only, but complete. The only other perfect and complete life is found in the other body of Christ, the church. That is, if it were possible to gather from all earth’s redeemed lives, through the ages, the fragments of spiritual beauty and good in each, and combine them all in one life, that too would be found to be full and perfect. No one Christian can do everything that the church is required to do. One has one gift of usefulness and another another. There are a thousand different kinds of usefulness needed, and there must be a life for each.
Here we see the wisdom of variety and diversity in human gifts and capacities. It is said that no two human faces in the world are identical in every feature. So no two human lives are just the same, with the same ability, the same talents, the same power of usefulness. This almost infinite diversity in capacity is not accidental. The world has a like variety of needs, and hence the necessity for so many kinds of gifts. There must be a hand for every task, or not all the tasks could be performed, not all human needs could be met. Some things would have to remain untouched, some needs unmet.
The Master tells us that to each one is given his own particular work. It is no fancy to say that God has a plan for every life. He made you for something all your own. He thought about you before he made you, and had in his mind a particular place in his great plan which he made you specially to fill, and a piece of work in the vast world’s scheme which he made you to do. That place no one but you can fill, for every other person has likewise his own place and work in the great divine plan. No one can do the work of any other. If you fail to do your particular duty, there will be a blank in the world’s work, where there ought to have been something beautiful, something well done.
“To each one his work.” It may be only a little thing, but the completeness of the universe will be marred if it is not done, however small.
“Each life that fails of its true intent
Mars the imperfect plan that the Master meant.”
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