Rise: Stepping Up To God's CallSample

Phantom Limb

There’s this thing that happens to some people who lose an arm or leg: they can still feel it. The limb is gone, but they can feel the muscles contract and the tendons stretch. Doctors call this, “Phantom Limb,” a physical manifestation of the mental pain of losing a part of oneself. 

Thought:

In Romans, Paul talks about bodies. We all have one, he says, made up of different parts with different jobs. Your eyes are really good at seeing things, but not so good at making or building. Your hands can hold, sculpt and feel texture, but they can’t discern color or hear music. Your feet can walk, run or jump, but they can’t speak or think. 

Paul describes the Body of Christ as a group of believers gathered together to worship and serve Jesus. The Body of Christ is just like our physical bodies, only it isn’t made of arms and legs, but people like me and you. You have a purpose, and the body isn’t whole without you. You have been created with a unique purpose that no one else can fulfill like you. It’s tempting sometimes to live our lives like phantom limbs, whether because we think we don’t need the body or because we think the body doesn’t need us. God is calling us to live in community and to be the body part we were created to be. 

Challenge:

1. FIND YOUR PLACE! God has created you with a unique set of skills and personality traits. How can you use them to serve the Body of Christ?
2. BE YOU! God hasn’t called all of us to be the same. You can only thrive when you are doing what YOU are designed to do. Focus on being what God has called you to be.
3. PRAY! “God, thank you for creating me to be me. Help me find my right place in Your Body. Give me confidence and humility to express my unique gifts.”