Indispensable

"On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.."

(1 Corinthians 12:22)

God didn't create us with many 'spare parts.'  Oh sure, if pressed, we can make do without a hand, or arm, or foot... heck, even with one less kidney!  But basically, we need ALL our body parts if we're going to function at our best - the way God intended.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is reminding the beloved community in Corinth that no one is more "valuable" than another in the Body of Christ.  We all have gifts, roles & a place designed by God.  All are vital!  Evidently, some of the Corinthians were having problems with this.  Which got me thinking... have we changed all that much?  Despite our best intentions, I think it's human nature to want to "size people up."  We sort people out by how "useful" they appear to be to us.  Oh, we may never admit it to anyone... but I daresay we do it nonetheless.

So today's reading challenged me to think about these people (especially in the church) that seem to be the most "high maintenance."  The ones who push our buttons, seem to need the most help, or simply don't seem to do much at all!  What would it mean to begin thinking of them as INDISPENSABLE?  We may not know exactly why God has deemed them indispensable - but it's not our job to figure that out.  Our job is to love them... treasure them... encourage them... and honor them.

Who knows... maybe someone will be led to do the same to us!