A Speckled Egg: Our Differences are the Good, Not the Bad.

We've only been collecting eggs from our new chickens a couple of weeks, but yesterday we got a speckled egg. Now one might not think twice about this, except we have two Barred Rocks and two Rhode Island Reds. Neither of these chickens lay speckled eggs, and yet, we have a speckled egg. 

My friend Audra, who gave us the chickens, looked up information to help us figure out this mystery, and she found some information saying that if they have too much calcium, it can cause speckles on their eggs. We'll see what ends up happening with the eggs in the future, but this oddball egg got me to thinking, about myself, and my children, and about people generally.

Each person is unique. Each child we have is perfectly different from their sibling. Even when they are similar, they are not the same. Why do you suppose that is? Romans 12:4 tells us, "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,". We are likewise told in 1 Corinthians 12:4, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit." We are not meant to be the same, for He made us different. 

Right now we have a teenager who is struggling to figure out where and how she fits in the world. The teen years are a trying time for most kids walking through those years, and still, it's a time of great growth, and a chance for parents to embrace their children, to continue to teach them the Word of God not only in theory but also in practice. This is one of the most impressionable ages, and we, as parents, must work to guide and lead these young people into the purpose God has for their lives. We need to help them embrace their differences as God's way of saying, "You are special. I made you unique and with great purpose."

Who would have thought a single speckled egg, that came unexpectedly, would have provoked so much thought about life and the purpose of God? God doesn't make mistakes. There's a whole, big theological debate in that statement, but still, it's true. Every single one of us, and every single thing God creates has a purpose in His great plan, and that purpose is different for each thing and every person. Even if something or someone is different than we think it/they should be, their purpose is concrete, and divinely inspired.

I hope to be an encouragement to you today. If you feel like the speckled egg, that doesn't fit in, or, at least on the surface, doesn't appear to fit, please know that God makes no mistakes, and He has a great purpose and plan for your life. God tells us in Joshua 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This is probably one of my favorite scriptures in the bible because, amid the busyness of our lives, God reminds us He knows. He knows the plans He has for us, and He's reminding us that when we seem to get lost a little we can look back to Him, and know He has a great purpose for us, and that we are not alone in our differences. He made us all different, on purpose. 

I am grateful today for a God that didn't make me like everyone else. For a God who didn't make my children all the same, and who didn't make you the same as anyone else either. Today, embrace your differences and know that He has a plan for your life. Be the speckled egg and be it with vigor! I am that speckled egg, and I'm completely okay with that. I hope you're okay with your differences too, and I pray you'll search the Lord and His heart to find the purpose of your life because, our differences are the good, not the bad.  

​If you're looking for a good read on purpose, check out THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE


Until we meet again...
XOXO
​Jen

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