Staples are a basic necessity for a high school teacher, they have many uses: they hold important papers together, they are a great asset for displaying important notices on the notice board, and they can even save a high school teacher major embarrassment by holding a shirt together when a button decides it’s time for a vacation (it´s a long story!)
So, I brought a box of staples, a BIG box, as I always have flustered students coming towards me looking like a tree with wild paper branches, seeking to borrow the stapler to bring order to their out-of-control essays. I popped the brand new box of staples into my bag and went on my way. A few days later I needed to reload my stapler. I took out a stick of staples and inserted them into the stapler, and left the box in my bag.
I was happy stapling away: completed rubrics to essays, stapling students´ creative poems to the “WOW” board for all to enjoy, and using them to hem my frayed skirt (I was never a whizz with the sewing machine).
A few days passed and I needed to reload my stapler. I reached into my bag to retrieve the box of staples, and to my horror I found that the lid of the box had opened! The “once sticks” of staples were now in fragments. I pulled out a handful of staples and tried desperately to insert the individual staples successfully into the stapler - but my efforts were useless! I couldn´t use any of them - what a waste of staples.
As I lamented the loss of the staples it started me thinking about spiritual matters. God wants His people to live in unity, like the stick of staples. Unified staples are easy to insert into the stapler ready to use: a stick of staples may all be used up to hold the same important paper together, or a stick of staples may be used for a variety of projects. Regardless of the project, each staple has its own purpose.
The sad fact is disunity amongst believers is common. It is an all-too-well-known fact here in Nicaragua that missionaries often leave the mission field because of disagreements that occur with other missionaries.
It´s like one staple, whose purpose is to hold together a very important document, then believes that all staples are to hold the same important document together, when in fact there are many different tasks for staples. As Christians, we must realise that God is calling his people to work in unity yet remember that unity does not refer to uniformity! Where would God´s people be today if we just started to appreciate and respect the extremely diverse tasks God gives to individuals instead of judging, condemning and basically expecting standardization.
I do not believe we can complete the task God places before us in our own strength. An individual staple is almost useless to the stapler if it breaks from the stick. The staple has to go into the stapler and be pushed on in order for the staple to be effective.
As I threw out the mass of individual staples I pondered on this analogy and prayed that I would be content with the destiny I have in God. I prayed I would appreciate that the “staples” next to me have a different purpose to fulfill and I prayed against the enemy´s plans to seek to kill, steal and destroy unity between God´s people.
Here are some scriptures that I´m dwelling on to help me stay focused and encourage me not to allow myself to come out of protection and be broken…
Psalm 133:1 – How good and pleasant it is when Christians live together in unity!
I Corinthians 12:12-26 – The body is a unit… if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense be?...
Ephesians 4:1-3 - …I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Colossians 3:14 - …and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
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