No Extra Parts

"All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it" ( 1 Cor 12:27) NLT.

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it" ( Psalm 139:14) NLT.


The movie, Hugo, has a plot and an inspiring story. An instructive scene in the movie is where the following dialogue takes place between a young girl Isabel and Hugo:

Isabelle: "I wonder what my purpose is..."

Hugo: "Everything has a purpose, clocks tell you the time, trains takes you to places. I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine... I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too."

What a wonderful way to illustrate the concept of purpose. God made the world and everything he made has a unique purpose. He did not create any extra part lacking purpose. Sometimes humans refer to vestigial organs in the body that have no particular purpose. This however contradicts what the bible reveals to us about God and his purposeful precision in creation. Anything without a purpose is a nuisance but God created no nuisance. Everything he created fits somehow into the machine, adding a unique contribution.

In the same way, you are not an extra part of the machine even though you may sometimes feel that way. You are a significant part of God's plans. Think of this too, even the very small part of a machine is important. The loss of a tiny diode or transistor in an electronic equipment could cause the entire system to shut down. That is how significant you are. You are designed to contribute something unique to the world and the world will not go quite as well if you do not discover, develop and deploy that unique contribution. Without your input, the clock will not work as well. Also, just as parts of machines are crafted, shaped and designed for the function they are to fulfilled, you were also crafted to specification for your unique function. You look just perfect for your purpose.

So decide today to live on purpose. Discover what makes you tick. What do you love doing? What do you do with ease? What do you hate? What gets you angry? What gets you going? What catches your attention easily? What gives you joy? What makes you cry? These are pointers to your purpose. Get into fellowship with God and let him clarify things for you. Then get moving on purpose so the machine can run as it should. Choose to live on purpose.


Decision of the day

I choose to live on purpose. I will find my place in God's plans, recognize my significance and get to work, making my unique contribution to my generation.