The Body of Christ

I managed to get through childhood into adulthood without any major injuries. I don't know whether it was the watchful eyes of my parents, my guardian angel, or God's protection. It certainly wasn't thanks to any particular care on my part. However, as an adult, I hurt my wrist. Of course, I didn't get an X-ray or proper treatment and I tried to manage it on my own.

As I stubbornly tried to continue I was amazed by just how much impact it had on everyday tasks. Things I had never thought about like carrying shopping bags and even opening the car door were suddenly so much harder. Everything else had to compensate for my injured wrist.

After a few weeks of trying to manage the pain, I finally got help. An X-ray revealed that I had fractured my scaphoid. The scaphoid is a tiny bone in the wrist that was previously unknown to me but now became a lot more interesting, especially because I learned that if it wasn't allowed to heal properly, the bone could die and cause a lot more damage. Fortunately, I was able to get treatment in time and there was no ongoing issue.

This experience taught me that even the tiniest, most insignificant parts of our bodies each play an important role in our well-being. The same applies to the body of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, that we are all baptised by the same Spirit into one body. That means each one of us has a role to play, we all have gifts through the Holy Spirit and every gift is crucial to the well-being of the body.

Unfortunately, many followers of Jesus today don't see how vital their Spiritual gifts are for the body of Christ. Many don't even know what their role is. But if one part suffers, the whole body suffers with it. As hard and messy as the Church sometimes gets, when we cut ourselves off from the Church we only cause more trouble. If we truly want to see the love of Christ transforming this world, it takes all of us. We all need to know how the Spirit of God has gifted us and how to use those gifts.

Thought Point

Do you know your Spiritual gifts? How are you using your gifts within the Body of Christ? If you don't know your gift, consider talking to and praying with a leader in your church for God to reveal this to you.

Prayer Point

Ask God to pour out His Spirit upon you. Ask Him to lead you into your place within His body.