<p>I have always been excited about the idea of being a husband. Sometimes more than just the idea of having a wife. That may sound unusual, but growing up, watching my mom and dad show affection and loyalty to one another stirred something in me. I wanted to be the kind of husband my dad was. I wanted to give myself to that role fully, long before I ever knew who my wife would be.</p><p>What I did not really consider was that marriage comes with more than vows and shared last names. It comes with in laws. It comes with new siblings. It comes with relationships that stretch and shape you in ways you never anticipated.</p><p>Preya has a younger sister and an older brother. Her brother has, in many ways, become an older brother to me as well. His wisdom and steady encouragement have meant more to me than he probably realizes. That part felt somewhat familiar since I am the youngest of four. I know what it is like to look up to older brothers.</p><p>What has been new for me is learning how to be an older brother to her younger sister.</p><p>I never really had the chance to step into that role before. It has been eye opening, humbling, and at times just plain fun. Recently, Preya and I started teaching her how to play pickleball. This is not another pickleball article, I promise. But something happened during our first session that stayed with me.</p><p>Preya is left handed. I am right handed. Her sister is right handed too. That small detail did not seem like a big deal until it was time to teach her how to serve. Preya stood opposite her sister, trying to demonstrate, but everything felt backward. What looked natural to her did not translate easily across the net.</p><p>I stepped in and suggested that Preya demonstrate while I played the role of ball boy, picking up and returning balls as they practiced. Preya kept reminding me, sometimes with frustration, that she was left handed. I would say, “That’s no problem.” If I am honest, it actually was a bit of a problem. Not because she could not teach, but because the angles and perspectives made things harder than they needed to be.</p><p>Eventually I helped guide the lesson in a way that felt clearer for everyone. At the end of the day, her younger sister said she learned better from Preya. That did not bother me. It actually made me think.</p><p>Preya’s frustration may not have been about ability at all. It may have been about perspective. It may have been about not seeing immediate results or not getting the feedback she hoped for. Meanwhile, her sister was learning all along.</p><p>That experience made me think about the church.</p><p>In the body of Christ, we have left handed people, right handed people, and some who seem spiritually ambidextrous. We have different personalities, different gifts, different approaches. Sometimes we feel perfectly suited for a task. Other times we feel awkward and out of place.</p><p>Paul addresses this beautifully in <strong>1 Corinthians 12:18–20:</strong></p><p>“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.”</p><p>That verse does two things at once. It humbles us and it comforts us. It reminds us that we are not self assigned. God places. God arranges. God designs. The body needs variety. The church does not need everyone to teach the same way, serve the same way, or even think the same way. It needs faithfulness.</p><p>Jesus also speaks to this in the parable of the talents. In <strong>Matthew 25:21</strong>, the master says:</p><p>“Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”</p><p>Notice what is celebrated. Not comparison. Not superiority. Not who had the most. Faithfulness. The one with two talents received the same affirmation as the one with five. The goal was not to outperform someone else. The goal was to use what was entrusted.</p><p>In ministry, it is easy to slip into quiet competition. Who teaches better. Who preaches stronger. Who connects more naturally. But heaven measures something different. Heaven measures faithfulness.</p><p>And then there is this gentle reminder from <strong>1 Corinthians 3:6–7</strong>:</p><p>“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”</p><p>Paul is not downplaying effort. He is putting it in perspective. We plant. We water. We serve. But we do not produce life. God does.</p><p>That changes everything.</p><p>When Preya was trying to teach her sister, the desired outcome was growth, not recognition. It did not matter who looked more natural in the moment. What mattered was that her sister learned how to serve. The focus had to shift from who was better suited to what would best help her improve.</p><p>The same is true in the church. If we spend more time arguing over who teaches “better”, who should serve, who should be seen, we miss the point. The outcome we are after is spiritual growth. Maturity. Faithfulness. Christlikeness.</p><p>There will be moments when one person’s perspective connects better than another’s. That does not diminish anyone. It simply reflects the beauty of a body that works together.</p><p>Some will plant. Some will water. Some will encourage quietly in the background. Some will step in when angles feel off and perspectives need adjusting. All of it matters.</p><p>The question is not whether someone else is more effective. The question is whether we are faithful with what God has placed in our hands. So maybe the next time frustration creeps in because a lesson did not land the way we hoped, or someone else seems to connect more naturally, we pause. We remember that growth is the goal. We remember that God gives the increase.</p><p>And we keep serving. Left handed. Right handed. However He has shaped us. Faithful, together.</p><p>Before I close, let me say this.</p><p>If these reflections resonate with you, if they encourage you to serve a little more faithfully where you are, then I am grateful. Truly. Writing these pieces, recording them, praying through them, and sharing them is not just content for me. It is ministry. It is part of how I try to plant and water in the small corner of the field God has given me.</p><p>Journey With Jesus has always been about helping us think deeply, live faithfully, and serve humbly. If that mission has strengthened your walk in any way, and you feel moved to support the effort, you can do so through my “<strong>Buy Me a Coffee</strong>” link.</p><p>Thank you for reading. Thank you for listening. And thank you for walking this road with me.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Journey With Jesus at <a href="https://singhjonathan78.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">singhjonathan78.substack.com/subscribe</a>