One Body

1 Corinthians 12:7, 12-14, 24b-27 (NIV)

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.


Reflection

I have already had my first pumpkin spiced coffee (or two) for the autumn. Another seasonal favorite for me is watching football. 

My 14-year-old son is playing eighth grade football in the position of guard on the offensive line. His job is to block defenders to protect his quarterback and create holes in the opposing defensive line for his teammates to run the ball. A guard is not a flashy position, but the role he plays allows the offense to successfully move the ball and, ultimately, score points.

In a recent game, my son was double-teamed and had a very impressive block, leaving one opposing player on his backside and another reeling backward. This left a gaping hole in the defense, and the running back easily carried the football into the end zone. As the team celebrated the touchdown on the sidelines, I expected the focus to be on the speedy running back who carried the ball. Instead, led by the coach, the whole team cheered and congratulated my son on the great block. 

Throughout the game, the coach recognized the importance of the many individual roles being carried out on the field as a part of the success of a cohesive unit. The running back did not score a touchdown, the team did, with the help of my son doing a great job at his assigned task on that particular play.  

We are pre-dispositioned — especially in America — to relish the idea of self-made success. We live in a world that celebrates the stars and quickly dismisses those not in the spotlight. But this idea of successful autonomy is not real. For even the most talented individuals, how many others are working alongside them to facilitate their success? Along with not being realistic, autonomy is not what God intended for our lives. We were lovingly crafted to function within community, individually working together as one body, each with unique gifts bestowed for our time and place. To embrace the life you were designed to live, your individual focus must shift away from self, and toward serving the needs of others in ways uniquely suited to you.

Everyone wants to run the football into the end zone for the touchdown, but they’ll never make it without a trusted teammate effectively blocking for them. When it all comes together, it is a beautiful thing (even better than pumpkin spice).  


Action steps

Take some time this week to identify those in your community who have supported you, and celebrate them! Also, identify those who depend upon support from you, and find ways to better serve them with your individual talents, abilities and roles. Look for new ways to serve new people around you, especially fellow Christians.


Prayer

Lord, please reveal to me my unique gifts, and help me to have a heart of service toward others to best use those gifts for Your plans and purposes. Help me to put my self-focus aside and earnestly seek opportunities to build up, benefit, and celebrate those in my community. Help me also humbly and gratefully accept the genuine support of others when I am in need. Amen.