{"id":2980,"date":"2023-09-13T07:34:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T11:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2023-09-13T07:35:32","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T11:35:32","slug":"one-of-a-kind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/13\/one-of-a-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"One of a Kind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,<\/em> <\/a>click here<\/a>

Contrary to the popular marketing slogan, one size usually doesn\u2019t fit all.

Oh, that may be true of wristwatches, neck chains, bicycle helmets, T-shirts made of certain stretchable fabrics, and baseball caps with adjustable bands.

But it certainly doesn\u2019t apply to suits, dresses, shoes, and just about every aspect of human life where getting things right truly matters.

As John Ortberg points out in his book The Me I Want to Be<\/em>, \u201cTake two aspirin and call me in the morning\u201d may constitute decent medical advice for many aches and pains.  But it would be serious malpractice for a burst appendix.   

New moms and dads may resolve, \u201cNo matter how many kids we have, we\u2019ll treat them each exactly the same way.\u201d But even children who grow up in the same home with the same parents, watch the same Disney movies, and eat the same green beans may turn out to be dramatically different when it comes to motivations, fears, and hopes. 

People are not the same.  We are God\u2019s unique creations.  One size does not fit all.

Ortberg observes, \u201cIf we really want to help someone grow, we will have to help them in a way that fits their wiring.\u201d  He then points out that God is a master at this task, since he knows precisely what each person needs.  John then rolls our a series of examples:

[God] had Abraham take a walk, Elijah take a nap, Joshua take a lap, and Adam take the rap.<\/em>

He gave Moses a forty-year time out, he gave David a harp and a dance, and he gave Paul a pen and scroll.<\/em>

He wrestled with Jacob, argued with Job, whispered to Elijah, warned Cain, and comforted Hagar.<\/em>

He gave Aaron an altar, Miriam a song, Gideon a fleece, Peter a name, and Elisha a mantle.<\/em>

Jesus was stern with the rich young ruler, tender with the woman caught in adultery, patient with the disciples, blistering with the scribes, gentle with the children, and gracious with the thief on the cross.<\/em>

Ortberg concludes, \u201cGod never grows two people the same way.  God is a handcrafter, not a mass-producer.\u201d

In one of Israel\u2019s most famous stories, the young shepherd boy David \u2013 probably not yet old enough to get a driver\u2019s license in your home state \u2013 convinces cowardly King Saul that he can take on the Philistine giant Goliath in representative combat.  David has no military training and not a stitch of protective clothing.  The least Saul can do is offer his armor.

\u201cThen Saul dressed David in his own tunic.  He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.  David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them\u201d (I Samuel 17:39-40).  This was a nice idea that was never going to work.  As Ortberg puts it, Saul was a 52 long and David was a 36 regular.

The teenager walks to a nearby wadi \u2013 a dry brook \u2013 and selects five smooth stones for his sling.  He will only need one of them.

What can we learn from a story that\u2019s been with us for something like 3,000 years?  We\u2019re not called to spend the rest of our lives trying on Saul\u2019s armor.  One size does not fit all.

As the old saying goes, \u201cGod does not call those who are equipped.  He equips those he calls.\u201d  Most of us already have at hand the tools we need to slay our giants \u2013 our own version of five smooth stones.  We may simply have overlooked them \u2013 especially if others have been earnestly trying to convince us to try this program or pursue that technique in order to serve God.

God has a plan to grow your heart for him.  It won\u2019t look exactly like anyone else\u2019s.

That\u2019s because you didn\u2019t arrive in this world after tumbling off a divine conveyor belt.

You\u2019re one of a kind<\/em>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here Contrary to the popular marketing slogan, one size usually doesn\u2019t fit all. Oh, that may be true of wristwatches, neck chains, bicycle helmets, T-shirts made of certain stretchable fabrics, and baseball caps with adjustable bands. But it certainly doesn\u2019t apply to suits, dresses, shoes, and just about every aspect of… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[635],"class_list":["post-2980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-gods-call"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2980"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2983,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980\/revisions\/2983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}