I never knew what a “try-hard” was until I moved to Australia.( As I wrote that I realized that it sounds like I’m saying Australians are “try-hards”, that’s not what I’m saying at all). I’m saying that I had never heard that phrase before and it’s actually quite an accurate one. According to the Urban Dictionary; a try hard is someone who, rather than genuine personality traits, tries to fit a certain image through changing their appearance or forcing a certain style on themselves that is not natural.
For instance, if I were to walk around in a Bronco’s jersey and use footy language I would be a “try hard”, because as great as it would be to fit into the AFL culture, my accent and the fact that I know nothing about Australian football would give me away. Or in actual cases where I desperately want to be good at something (Baseball, Billiards, Guitar, fixing my car, etc) and yet being good at those things does not come naturally, not to say I don’t try... (sometimes with devastating results especially when it comes to my auto mechanics skills). Yet, I sometimes find myself pretending I am good at those things... perhaps just wishful thinking.
God has not created us to be a “try hard”. In fact God has made us very unique for very unique purposes. Our gifts and abilities were given to us so that we could glorify God in very specific ways.
1Co 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
The Church is an awesome place if it is done right (and yes there is a right way and a wrong way). The church should be a place of diversity where different kinds of people with different backgrounds and different gifts, and even different points of view gather together to glorify God. Differences are so important.
First off if a church is made up only of people with the same back ground and the same points of view no one will be challenged if the point of view is wrong, nor will anyone know how to talk to or engage anyone with different points of view outside the Church. If your Church is made up of people who think exactly alike and have the same background this might mean that you never have an argument or a disagreement, it does not, however, make for growth, as even the apostles in the early Church challenged one another. Paul opposed Peter to his face, and Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways after arguments. Reform happened in a corrupt Church because people with different view were part of the Church and were willing to speak up.
Also if a Church is made up with people who share one gift and one interest. I had a group of friends who went off to start a new kind of Church. They were all artists and they went out to start a Church for artists. The worship was full and creative and God was glorified in many ways, however when it came down to paying the bills, fixing up the building, organizing events, and managing the money, no one stepped up. They tried to create a Church focused on one gift and one interest and it didn’t work.
Paul warns us about this.
1Co 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
In every Church we need people who are prophetic who can dream big and see where God is leading, and we need people who are wise who can think practically. We need folks who can heal and those who can serve. We need those who can do administration just as much as we need musicians and speakers. We need elders who can teach from experience and we need youth who can bring energy and new ideas. We need the traditionalists who can remind us of who we are and radicals who can show us where we are being led.
So if we are a part of the body, that means that wherever we have been put God has arranged you exactly where he wanted you to be. What a promise. You don’t have to try to be the best speaker, the best musician, the most outgoing person, the athlete, the artist, you just have to try to be you, using your gifts and talents how God called you to use your gifts and talents.
So we don’t have to “try hard”. The same spirit gives us each gifts to use for the same purpose; glorifying God. We accept our gifts and we accept the gifts others have been given and we work together to glorify the one who gave them to us.
For instance, if I were to walk around in a Bronco’s jersey and use footy language I would be a “try hard”, because as great as it would be to fit into the AFL culture, my accent and the fact that I know nothing about Australian football would give me away. Or in actual cases where I desperately want to be good at something (Baseball, Billiards, Guitar, fixing my car, etc) and yet being good at those things does not come naturally, not to say I don’t try... (sometimes with devastating results especially when it comes to my auto mechanics skills). Yet, I sometimes find myself pretending I am good at those things... perhaps just wishful thinking.
God has not created us to be a “try hard”. In fact God has made us very unique for very unique purposes. Our gifts and abilities were given to us so that we could glorify God in very specific ways.
1Co 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
The Church is an awesome place if it is done right (and yes there is a right way and a wrong way). The church should be a place of diversity where different kinds of people with different backgrounds and different gifts, and even different points of view gather together to glorify God. Differences are so important.
First off if a church is made up only of people with the same back ground and the same points of view no one will be challenged if the point of view is wrong, nor will anyone know how to talk to or engage anyone with different points of view outside the Church. If your Church is made up of people who think exactly alike and have the same background this might mean that you never have an argument or a disagreement, it does not, however, make for growth, as even the apostles in the early Church challenged one another. Paul opposed Peter to his face, and Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways after arguments. Reform happened in a corrupt Church because people with different view were part of the Church and were willing to speak up.
Also if a Church is made up with people who share one gift and one interest. I had a group of friends who went off to start a new kind of Church. They were all artists and they went out to start a Church for artists. The worship was full and creative and God was glorified in many ways, however when it came down to paying the bills, fixing up the building, organizing events, and managing the money, no one stepped up. They tried to create a Church focused on one gift and one interest and it didn’t work.
Paul warns us about this.
1Co 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
In every Church we need people who are prophetic who can dream big and see where God is leading, and we need people who are wise who can think practically. We need folks who can heal and those who can serve. We need those who can do administration just as much as we need musicians and speakers. We need elders who can teach from experience and we need youth who can bring energy and new ideas. We need the traditionalists who can remind us of who we are and radicals who can show us where we are being led.
So if we are a part of the body, that means that wherever we have been put God has arranged you exactly where he wanted you to be. What a promise. You don’t have to try to be the best speaker, the best musician, the most outgoing person, the athlete, the artist, you just have to try to be you, using your gifts and talents how God called you to use your gifts and talents.
So we don’t have to “try hard”. The same spirit gives us each gifts to use for the same purpose; glorifying God. We accept our gifts and we accept the gifts others have been given and we work together to glorify the one who gave them to us.