BFB-The Stretch Devotional & Guide 2026 - Flipbook - Page 28
REACH IN | STRETCHING TOWARD ONE ANOTHER
DAY 20: DIFFERENT BY DESIGN
MINISTER SAM BROWN
1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-27
Reflection:
Unity does not erase difference; it celebrates God-given identity so every gift can
strengthen the body.
Expanded Focus:
One of the most powerful truths I learned later in life was this: we were never meant to
look, sound, think, or operate the same. One of the biggest mistakes I made was trying to
be like others and abandoning who God uniquely designed me to be. As a millennial
leader, I want to encourage today’s reader to be who God created you to be. The church,
the community, and the world need you to show up in your fullness. I grew up in a
traditional Baptist church setting where it sometimes felt like being different was
dangerous or even demonic. But now I see clearly, difference is not a threat; it is divine.
Diversity in unity is God’s design. God never intended for His people to be carbon copies;
He intended us to be a living tapestry of gifts, backgrounds, and personalities that reveal
His glory in unique ways. Our diversity is not a problem; it’s Heaven’s strategy. It is
diversity that God uses to reach people right where they are and lead them to where He
wants them to be. When we look throughout scripture, we see a pattern: God consistently
uses people who are different. Individuals like John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, and
Paul were seen as unusual, unworthy, or even unholy, yet God used their stories for His
will. Their lives remind us that our differences never disqualify us.
The Apostle Paul tells us in our key passage that although we all belong to one body, we
each have different gifts, different functions, and different strengths. The eye is not the
ear. The hand is not the foot. And yet, every part is needed. Every part is valuable. Every
part was crafted with purpose. Unity does not require sameness; it requires surrender. It
requires each of us to bring our differences to the table so the whole body can function.
The moment you embrace who you truly are, you step into freedom.
From as far back as I can remember, I became overly enamored with a certain person. I
wanted to be just like them. But one day, a seasoned veteran in life told me,
