Girlzone: A garden of flowers
13th May 2010 by Yvette Clarke
Different is good!
On 1 December this year, I'm going overseas with my best friend Emma for three months. I'm not entirely sure that the USA and Europe are prepared for the two of us!
I'm excited about going on a double-decker red bus in London and going to Disneyland in two different continents (plus about a million other things!), while Emma is really excited about going to Verona to see all the Romeo and Juliet stuff and doing some church history things in Germany. I am certain that after the second Shakespeare-inspired tour I will be bored and over people speaking to me in ye ol' English that is all cryptic; but I also know that I will learn something new that I wouldn't have if Emma wasn't different to me.
The creativity of the Gardener
One thing I love about girls and our friendships is how different we are. It is such a good thing! Imagine how boring the world would be if there were only ever daisies and no other flowers. Sometimes that is the way we think about the church – that there are only certain colours or gifts otherwise you're an unnoticed weed. Just go with me for a minute ... sometimes it feels that singing in the worship team, leading a small group and preaching are the only things that get me noticed or the only gifts I can use in the church.
One of the coolest things about God is that he is creative – and in that, it means that he created each one of us to be different, with our own unique gifts, interests and talents. Now I admit I think that flowers smell funny, but I also know that a garden looks far more beautiful if it's full of different colours and types of flowers.
A display of flora
In my youth leadership team at church we have one girl who is a neat freak-cleaning-perfectionist extraordinaire, another girl comes early and moves 30 drink cans into a fridge and prints out sign-in sheets before youth every week and afterwards will pick up all the smallest bits of rubbish and cleans 20 paintbrushes.
One guy is awesome at going to Bunnings to buy the tarps that we need, another guy is awesome at playing games with the youth before it starts and pegging tennis balls at them. Two other girls help out by selling stuff at our 'snak shak' every week. But then, within the team we also have a worship leader, a small group leader, an encourager and a preacher.
Different, unique, colourful
As girls, when we look at others our first instinct is to do a comparison between them and ourselves – appearance, personality traits, friends, gifts, talents. If we were all the same imagine just how boring the world would be.
God shows just how clever he is by creating us to be different and unique, and that's the same when it comes to serving in the church. It's not meant to just be daisies with everyone else as unnoticeable weeds, but rather there are gerberas, roses, daffodils and bluebells as well; a garden full of colour.
What flower are you?
So if you're a neat freak cleaner, dancer, encourager, prayer warrior, shopper, cook, reader, computer whiz, mathematician, magician or friend, please add your colour to the garden. God created you the way you are, and you are meant to serve as yourself!
I like to think I'm a gerbera, and I'll try to be the best one I can be – what flower are you? What is your colour and scent? Deeper though, what colour is it that you have to offer your church?
Yvette is the youth pastor of [UNLEASHED] Youth at the Gold Coast Salvos. Her favourite colour is green, she loves batman and is addicted to Scrubs.
Yvette goes to Bible college, loves to read books and is excited about what will happen in the future as this generation stands up as true soldiers of Jesus Christ.
save. grow. serve.
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