"As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you...'"
(1 Corinthians 12:20-21)
The Church as a Body is a familiar image to those within Christianity. We know that God has made each of us with different gifts and abilities... and when we work together, we function the way God intended. Paul lays this out beautifully in 1 Corinthians 12.
Almost every time I read this, I think: "Be grateful for how God made you! Don't wish to be something you're not." Paul talks about needing eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. A body with all eyes wouldn't be as well-rounded as a complete body.
But today I was drawn to the second part of Paul's treatise. The part that chastises body parts for telling other body parts they're not needed. (Wow! How'd I miss that before?) It's not just recognizing each of us have a place in the body... but that we need each other! We can't "vote anyone off the island," just because they're not like us. We need each other.
God has made the church diverse for a reason. How often do we try and change that? Shame on us.
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