Paul taught Timothy, a younger Christian, how to live life and how to be in community with others.

He dropped this little gem about the followers of Christ: “…the household of God … the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth” (source).

So even though God could speak from the heavens with a loud powerful voice that everyone on earth could hear, He has chosen to use a group of weak and motley people to represent His truth to the world.

One reason for God’s choice of us is contrast… when the conduit for a message is beautiful and amazing, our eyes stray from the message and focus on the conduit. But when the conduit is unremarkable, the message gets through more clearly.

Another reason is love. My mom always used to communicate that moms always love their kids, no matter how ugly they are. (And I know she didn’t think I was ugly!) God is our Father, and he loves us, even when we’re ugly.

So take heart, even though you (and I) have a long way to go, God wants you (and me) to be part of His work, and He also wants other imperfect humans to join in.

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Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday. He took the photo inside a very big church in a very small town in western Kansas.