1 Corinthians 12:22
Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.(NKJV)

The Broken Toe

"You're going to have to use one of those scooters," my husband said as we pulled into the grocery store parking lot. "I am not!" I declared. In spite of my bold declaration, by the time I managed to painfully hobble from the car to the store entrance, I had to admit that my husband was right—I was going to have to use the scooter.


It seemed like such a minor thing, really. A broken toe. How could such a small thing cause such pain, and be so debilitating? Not only did I need to use the scooter at the grocery store, I also missed two days of work. And as I type this—five days after breaking my toe—I'm still unable to wear shoes, and am taking pain killers to get through the day.

I don't think about my toes often. They just exist, and seem of very little value. Until I'm unable to use them, that is.

Unrecognized Gifts

The same thing is true of various gifts in the body of Christ. All of them are necessary, even the ones that receive little attention. Or maybe I should say especially the ones that receive little attention.

Many of our meaningful times of worship wouldn't happen without humble servants working without recognition. Take, for example, communion. Do you know what it's like to fill up all of those little cups with grape juice? The work and care that goes into communion is enormous, and most of the time, no one thinks about who has done all the preparation, and who will clean up the mess afterwards.

Can you name the people in the church who prepare communion? We may not give much thought to it, but without it, our times of worship would be lacking.

Every Part is Important

Perhaps you think more highly of the "up front" ministries in the church. You may even long to be in one of those positions of honor. Or perhaps you yourself are in a highly visible ministry. Although there is a purpose and plan for more visible ministries (they are part of the body, too!), Paul reminds us in the verse of Scripture above that every part of the body is important, and should be honored.

Next time you go to church, seek out those who do the behind the scenes work in the church. Ask around to find out who they are if necessary. Then go out of your way to thank them for the tremendous contribution they make to the body of Christ.

And if you're one of those people who do seemingly thankless jobs that are considered to be unimportant by some, know that you are a highly valued part of the body of Christ. The church would hobble along without your contribution.

 

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Rebecca Livermore is a freelance writer, speaker and contributor for About.com. Her passion is helping people grow in Christ. She is the author of the weekly devotional column Relevant Reflections on www.studylight.org and is a part-time staff writer for Memorize Truth (www.memorizetruth.com). For more information visit Rebecca's Bio Page.