photo #8745668

The message here is that we all need one another. If a body is to work properly, all the parts need to work together. Just think about the last time you had a headache or stubbed your toe. For me, the headache leads to a stomachache and the stubbed toe means I’m limping and that gives me a backache. Paul wasn’t making reference to those who are born lacking a member of the body, or a person who suffers illness or accident that leads to a loss of a body part, but of us as individuals. As members of the body of Christ, he means that we all have been given gifts that work together for the body to function properly and that each person’s gifts are not given so that one person believes that his/her gift is more important than another’s. He is telling us that we need to identify the gift we have been given and use it for the glory of God. I once thought that I would become a nurse and so as a freshman in high school, I joined the "Future Nurses of America" program at the local hospital. Took the classes and then was let loose on the wards. By the end of the second week, I knew that nursing was not for me! It was not my gift, it was my sister’s. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, teaching was more my gift. So, as much as I denied it, God let me to discover that this was my gift and that I should be teaching. So, I did and still am. The key is to identify the gift and ask God to direct us.Prayer: Loving and faithful God, you know us better than we know ourselves, help us to identify the gifts you have given us, and use them for the benefit of others. Amen.