There may be those of you who understand much more about life and love and the universe than I do. You'll just have to bare with me, please. Sometimes I'm just a slow learner. Things that seem obvious to others just might take longer to sink in for me. Not sure why, but sometimes that happens.
What I'm carrying on about is a revelation I had the other day. I was thinking about the church "body". "For in fact the body is not one member but many." ICor 12:14. We are told not to try to be a body part that's not us. If I'm not an eye, I shouldn't try to be an eye. That's sort of how I always thought about the analogy of the body. Just be what you're meant to be.
My revelation was this, we actually need each other. Deep, I know. But I suddenly got it. Every body part needs the other body parts. If I have a sticker in my hand, I need my eyes to see it to get it out. If I my foot is bleeding, I need my hands to clean it up and bandage it.
We often ask ourselves why certain ministers can pray for others to be healed and yet their own family members don't receive healing. How come I can pray for someone else's headache to go away and when I pray for my own, it doesn't seem to work? I think because we need each other. We're supposed to take care of each other. I can be blind to things close to me that others can see. I need them to pray for me, to counsel me, to encourage me.
We are not meant to show up at church once a week, listen politely and go home. That's not what the body of Christ is supposed to be. We're meant to interact with each other. We're supposed to know when one of our own needs help. We're supposed to feel the pain ourselves.
I was a loner for a long time. It took me ages to integrate into church and feel like I belonged there. That was my fault. I held myself back from getting to know people. Now I know differently. Now I want to know "my people". I don't know them all, but I'm getting there. They have gifts and talents and needs that I can help with. If we work together, we'll help each other and everyone gets blessed. It takes risk to let that happen, but it's worth it. Some people will take more from you than you are willing to give. You have to work that out, but if you help that person along and see their growth, you grow from it too.
I haven't figured out what body part I am, but I know that I'm no good on my own. I know that this is an elementary concept, but I think it's one of the big ones that we neglect.
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