I woke up a month ago with some really weird thoughts running through my head. I have no idea what I was dreaming but I awakened thinking about ingredients, spices specifically. It wasn’t visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. It was cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salts and peppers, garlic, turmeric, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, fennel, and more! “According to some estimates, there are over 100 different spices commonly used in cooking around the world”1 while other estimates say, “there are more than 500 unique spices and herbs used worldwide!”2
All I can hear is the Alka Seltzer commercial from 1969 where actor Jack Somack declared, “Mama Mia! That’s a spicey meatball!” But I digress!
Think about all of those spices that are available. Would you use all 100 – or all 500 in one recipe? Absolutely not! Imagine how that would ruin the recipes. And you wouldn’t use certain spices in certain recipes. Chocolate chip cookies with onion powder? Tacos with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg? Warm banana bread with cumin and turmeric? A cherry pie sprinkled with paprika or dill seed?
We need them all. They all have their place and function. But it’s not necessary that they all be used at the same time.
Here’s the thought that hit me. Think of the church as a big spice rack. Each person is a bottle of a different spice. Some have an inescapable sweetness. Others have more of a rich, earthy taste. There are those who bring the fire and heat. And others are a floral flavor, the aroma permeating everything.
Does this have any Biblical support? Just consider 1 Corinthians 12:12, 18, and 27. 
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ…But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him…Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Just as a spice has a personality, people have a personality. We all have our unique gifts, talents, skills, and abilities. They are gifts from God intended to benefit and bless the body of Christ as a whole according to 1 Corinthians 12:7. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
Every spice doesn’t fit with every recipe, or to put it in the church context, every person doesn’t fit in every type of ministry that’s done within the church. And that’s okay. Our gifts differ for a reason. But, every spice, every person is necessary and there are recipes – ministries – where they fit perfectly.
Some folks are extremely gifted to work with children while others – well, let’s just say they shouldn’t because we love our children and adults and their sanity too much! There are those gifted musically while others aren’t. They are some who are gentle, listening ears filled with kindness and compassion while others may be more analytical and sterile with their counsel.
Illustrations of these truths could go on and on. The point is, we’ve got to get to know our spices! We have to know where they work best. Every spice has value and importance. And every spice needs to find its place of usefulness and surrender to be used.
Whether it’s a sprinkle, a dash, a teaspoon, or more, get blended into God’s work. Make the difference YOU can make. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
1https://www.ispiceyou.com/blogs/news/how-many-different-spices-are-there
2https://spicesandherbsguide.com/how-many-spices-and-herbs-are-there/
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