I came across a saying the other day: “Always remember that you’re unique, just like everybody else.” That sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? However, when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. You are unique, but so am I — and so is everyone else.
It’s interesting that we want to be unique and we also want to be just like everyone else so that we fit in. We don’t want to be just a number, just a person in the crowd, but we also don’t want to stand out so much that we don’t belong. Can we have it both ways? Yes; in fact, that’s the whole point of what I believe God wants us to understand this morning. It’s sort of like the piece of a puzzle. Each piece is unique; each piece also has its own place. Think of God’s giant puzzle, His big picture of things; you’re a piece of that puzzle. You’re unique, but you’re also meant to fit in — so picture yourself as Pete the puzzle piece or Pat the puzzle piece. As you leave worship today you’ll be given a piece of a puzzle. Keep it somewhere so that you’ll see it throughout the week. Let it remind you that you’re a unique person who’s part of God’s plan, and that He needs you to complete the picture of what He’s doing.

Uniquely You
The apostle Paul used the human body as an example of something with many parts that make up one body. Each organ and limb are unique, uniquely needed, and used by the body — yet all the parts make up one body. “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)
We could come up with other examples. How about the workers on an assembly line? What would happen if just one person decided to walk away from his place on the line? Imagine that it happened at the transmission plant on Alexis Road, for example. What part of a transmission could you leave out? Each person has to stay on the job. Each person is just one of many, but each person is important.
How about the pit crew at a car race? The car screeches to a halt for a pit stop and the crew jumps into action. If just one person slips up it delays the driver in getting back into the race so that he can’t win. Each person on the pit crew is indispensable, and each job must be done well.
Think about everything that contributes to making you like no one else and positions you to be used in a unique way by God. Let’s think of ourselves as Pete the puzzle piece or Pat the puzzle piece. Each of the five projections of the piece represents one of five ways in which we’re different from every other person in the world.
Past: Our past influences who we are, and no one else has exactly the same past. This past includes good and bad experiences, and both kinds can be used by the Lord in a positive way.
Personality: It’s amazing how different the personalities of children in the same family can be. We’re always amazed by this. Each of us has a unique personality that best suits us for what God has called us to do for Him in this life.
Problems: No one has a perfect life. Our difficulties mold us one way or another. With God’s help our problems can make us better, not worse, people. Of course, it’s up to us to decide which we’ll become. Each of us has a unique blend of problems unlike anyone else’s. God can use this!
People: Every one of us has a unique circle of people we know. This is a web of influence that’s totally unique.
Position: Each of us is in a unique position, or place, in life. No one else is exactly where we are.
In a moment we’ll see what God adds to this mix to make us even more unique. Now let’s just pause and realize that each of us is uniquely positioned to be used by God. Sometimes we think that if we were more like someone else, or if we were somewhere else, we could be of more use to God.
I like the way Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a great preacher of a previous generation, put it: “Be yourself, dear brother, for if you are not yourself, you cannot be anybody else; and so, you see, you must be nobody . . .”
The apostle Paul had the right idea: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) We ought to affirm those words from our hearts!

Gifted by God
As if we each aren’t unique enough, God gives each of us different gifts that can help us fulfill the unique roles He has called us to. Paul wrote, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” (Romans 12:6) Paul mentioned this idea of gifts from God (they’re often called spiritual gifts) in three of his letters. Each reference to spiritual gifts is slightly different from the others. The three lists are found in our text for today, Romans 12, and also in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians 4. (There are a few others in other references, too.)
Let me list them for you: the gifts of helps, leadership, hospitality, service, administration, discernment, faith, music, tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, craftsmanship, healing, giving, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, exhortation, teaching, pastor/shepherd, apostleship, missionary, prophecy, evangelist, and intercession. This isn’t an exhaustive list, and the lists vary slightly, but this gives you an idea of the wide variety of gifts God gives His people so that they can do His work.
Spiritual gifts are special abilities God gives His people to be used for the good of His people, especially in the church. He doesn’t call us to a task unless He also qualifies us to do it. If He wants you to do something He’ll give you the means — the spiritual gifts — to do it.

Discovering Your Uniqueness
How do you discover what gifts God has given you? There are several factors to keep in mind.
First, what do you enjoy doing? What comes fairly easily to you? When I was in high school we had to choose teams to play softball. I was almost always one of the last ones chosen. That gave me the idea that I probably would never be a major league baseball player. I also did poorly at chemistry, especially learning the table of the elements; that’s why I’m not a chemist.
However, I loved speech class. I could never understand why a person wouldn’t want to get up in front of a group of people and explain something exciting and important to them. Although I got just above average grades in school, I had no trouble getting an A in speech. That confirmed to me that I was on target with my sense that God was calling me into the ministry.
I heard about one kid who said he wanted to be a preacher. His mother asked why, and he said, “Well, if I have to go to church anyway, I figure it would be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit and listen.” (That wasn’t my reason for becoming a pastor, and I try not to yell.)
What do other people say that you do well? Sometimes we’re only legends in our own minds! We may think that we’re good at something, or really want to be good at something, but if we’re not getting positive input from others maybe we’re not so good at it.
You can also use an assessment tool; they usually have about 100 questions. You answer the questions and fill in the results in the appropriate spots, and you get an indication of what your gifts might be.

Gifted to Give
God has made us each unique and gifted us in unique ways because He has a special place for us in His great plan. However, none of this is going to work if we don’t do something about it.
Paul wrote about the different gifts God gives: “If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:7-8)
God gives us gifts so that we use them to give to others. There are earthly gifts like bread makers, sewing machines, potholder makers, balloon animal-making kits, and so on. These gifts allow a person to make something that’s given to others. That’s the way God’s gifts are, too.
Paul wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, . . .” (Romans 12:1) That image was vivid to Paul’s readers. They had seen many an animal sacrifice on an altar; now Paul was saying that they should be living sacrifices! We should, too. Someone said that the only problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar. We can choose to not live sacrificially for God and live instead the way we want to. Obviously His will for us is not to live for ourselves. God has made us unique so that we can uniquely serve Him. It’s amazing, but when we seek to fulfill His unique plan for us we enjoy life far more than when we just focus on ourselves and on what we want to do and be.
Let me illustrate it this way: consider two people who are going to a party. The first person is worried about whether anyone will want to talk to him. However, he doesn’t want to be the center of attention. He’s going to have a miserable time, and people probably won’t want to be around him because he seems all wrapped up in himself.
The other person is looking forward to the party. She knows there will be people there who are bashful, and she knows she can make them feel comfortable. Her goal is to help others have a good time, listening to them and making them feel important. Chances are good that she’s going to have a great time. She’ll feel unique and she’ll fit in.
People who are always worried about being accepted for who they are, and are always concerned about fitting in, usually end up feeling as though they aren’t accepted and don’t fit in. People who sacrifice the focus on themselves and decide to first serve God and then serve the people God puts around them usually feel special and accepted by others.
Take the piece of a puzzle with you following today’s service. Let it remind you that you’re uniquely shaped by God and have a unique place to fill: a place only you can fill to complete the big picture of what God’s doing in this world!