A Part of the Body
A few nights ago, I was walking across my house toward my bedroom in complete darkness. While traversing the treacherous ground of the kids' toy room, I kicked some kind of large, solid, noise-making toy - HARD - with my left foot. A bunch of cuss words later, I hopped to my room and crashed onto the bed to look over my stinging toes. Everything seemed to be okay. My smallest toe took the brunt of the blow so the nail was completely obliterated. "Wow," I thought, "If not for that tiny little toenail, my toe probably would have broken."
The next day, I started thinking about the "body" analogy in 1 Corinthians 12, that there are parts that we give "lesser honor," but God gives them great honor. My little toenail fits that category. I can go for months without even thinking about it. Then, one night, I'll go strolling through the pitch-dark minefield of my sons' toy room and I will discover the great honor and utility of the pinky-toenail. It is so simple that it shocks me. God has designed parts of my body to absorb impact, to take a direct hit, so that I won't suffer more serious damage.
That illustration in 1 Corinthians 12 goes on to say that we are all members of one another. I am finally getting at least a small part of that heavy, heavy statement. My toenail takes the hit so that my toe does not have to, so that my foot is not sending a charge of pain through my leg, up my spine and into my brain every time I try to put on shoes and take a step. This changes everything for me. When one of my brothers or sisters takes a direct hit, it's not just that I feel sorry for them and "hurt too," in some emotional, meta-physical way. We are connected much more deeply than that. In some way completely unknown to me, my brother or sister has absorbed some impact that was meant for me. They jumped in front of the bullet that was flying toward me. I know I'm being a bit overly dramatic, but it illustrates my point. We are members of one another. Like my toenail absorbing the impact of a blow that could break my toe and cause me nagging pain for a solid month. I experience none of that agony because there was a member of my body filling the specific job of taking that hit.
If you are hurting right now, thank you. I know that you have taken a blow that was meant for me. You have absorbed impact that would have injured untold numbers of people. We are grateful for you! Next time, we'll take it on your behalf.
Scott Bane
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Reader Comments (5)
What a great thought. I've heard teachings on this passage many times, but never saw it that way before. It makes me think more and more of how unified we are, and how we don't act that out. Like you said it's easy to feel sorry for someone who's taken a hit, and even want to help them however you can, but to think of them taking the bulk of a hit that had a much wider aim...wow! I know you've taken stuff in the past (school and daycare come to mind) that would have been a lot more painful, had you not taken the brundt of the hit. I'm grateful and thankful for that.
Also, thanks for the comment!
Lisa,
Thank you for the comment. You are very kind. I hope I was able to shield you guys from some of the stress of already high-stress jobs. I am still developing my thoughts on this, but I do think there is something to it. The fact that 1 Corinthians 12 makes a point of saying that God put each part of the body exactly where it belongs. It seems to me that he is positioning people for, at least in part, this purpose.
Today I had one of those moments when I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to. I now see the time I spend 'serving' in the church (building) as so small in comparison to my service to God. It really is the least of our time. Anyway, I have always served in the nursery, and can't say I've always loved it, but I stuck with it. Today I was so HAPPY to be in there with those babies and just loving on them! I really think it's sinking in (it's about time, huh) that whatever part you are, it's important, simply because you're doing what you're supposed to.
on a funnier note, what about stepping on those match box cars, or those legos!!!!!!!! OUCH, OUCH, OUCH many times!!!!
OH! Matchbox cars are the worst! My uncle has a great story of stepping on a little '57 Chevy when my cousins were young. He picked up with great wrath and stomped toward the garbage to throw it away. By the time he reached the garbage, he had cooled off and decided not to throw away his son's toy. Exactly 1 week later he was pulling that same '57 Chevy out of the clogged toilet :-)
Thanks for the comment, Chrissy!