This topic is something that has been on my heart for a while. However, it really hit me the other day when I was listening to Pandora the other day and Casting Crown’s “If We Are The Body” came on. In this song both of the verses speak of someone entering the church and there being teasing laughter and judgmental glances. That hit me because from what I have seen, the laughter and glances are not directed at travelers or new comers. It’s the body.
The Body of Christ
We are the body of Christ. Those of us who have a relationship with God and have committed to serve him are His body here on earth. Sometimes, though, it seems as though our body is self-destructing. When I was having the issues with my toes and had to see a second doctor I joked with him about just cutting them off because I was tired of dealing with them. I know that my big toes are what help balance my body so I would never do that.
How many times have we done that spiritually? A “body part” is hurting. We are constantly going to the doctor for it, so we get tired. Then we give up and say we don’t have time for you anymore. It’s still part of our body. If we cut off our big toes we will struggle to walk. If it’s a finger or hand we have difficulty reaching out to people the way we should. What if it’s our eyes? How will we see like Jesus sees.
I have seen so many members of the body that when they start hurting, they are given up on. They are amputated. We don’t want them around because the “infection” might spread to other parts of the body. I understand wanting to protect yourself or in even more so, your children. But just like with my toe the body part may need more TLC.
An Analogy of the Body
I have had four separate toe surgery experiences but technically I have had 6 when you count the different toes. Three of them were on the same toe. The infection kept returning. And after each surgery I had to soak my toes daily and change bandages twice a day. Infections take work and love to get rid of. The longer you put them off, the worse it gets.
The more you push members of the body away, the worse their infection gets. Sure it’s not your fault. But maybe it’s not theirs either. It wasn’t my toes’ fault that they got infected. It could just be that something happened to the body part that was out of their control. Something that hurt them and in their time of hurt there was no protection or love and their wound got infected.This is about the time when people start pushing them away because now the wound is visible. Very few people want to take a look at an infected wound. Even less want to take the time to clean it out properly.
A Challenge For You
My challenge for you to do is to pray and seek God for what you are able to do. How can you help the hurting? Maybe you can be an ointment that is reaching out regularly to offer relief from the hurt. You may be the bandage that protects from further debris. Or maybe you are the instrument that our Great Physician uses to clean out the wound. Whatever it is, allow God to lead you and use you. We have a lot of wounded “body parts” in our world. If we truly want to see the revival and the harvest that God has for us, we need to work together so that we are all at our strongest.
Martina