The Tale of Two Left Feet
I stared down at my feet this morning and burst out laughing. Something wasn't quite right. Both of my cozy new socks—a lovely Christmas gift from my husband—were marked with an "L." In my haste to match up the laundry, I'd managed to give myself two left feet!
I raced down the length of the house to share my predicament with Jason. "Look!" I exclaimed, pointing to my feet. "I've got two left feet!"
Without missing a beat, he quipped, "That's appropriate." Cheeky man!
As I giggled back to my office, I couldn't help but ponder the spiritual parallel. Just as these socks were specifically designed as left and right pairs to function optimally, God has uniquely designed each of us with specific purposes within the body of Christ.
The apostle Paul explains this beautifully in 1 Corinthians 12:14-18: "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."
Imagine if everyone in the church had the same gift! What if we were all teachers but had no one to serve meals at fellowship gatherings? What if we all played instruments but had no one to run the sound system? What if we all wanted to preach but had no one willing to clean the chapel? We'd be as awkward as me trying to walk properly with two left feet!
God, in His infinite wisdom, created us differently on purpose. Some of us are "left feet"—perhaps more analytical and structured. Others are "right feet"— maybe more creative and spontaneous. Neither is better; they're just different. And when paired correctly, they work together beautifully.
The key isn't trying to become something we're not or wishing we had someone else's gifts. Rather, it's about embracing our unique role and working in harmony with others who complement our abilities. Just as my socks work best when properly paired, we function best when we recognize and appreciate both our gifts and those of others.
So, the next time you're tempted to wish you were more like someone else in the church, remember my tale of two left feet. God didn't make a mistake when He designed you. He knew exactly what He was doing, and He placed you precisely where you needed to be. Just like a pair of socks (or shoes) works best when each one fulfills its proper role—one left, one right—the body of Christ functions most effectively when we each embrace our unique design and purpose. After all, who wants to walk around with two left feet?