Seemingly Insignificant

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)

Recently, I had a minor finger injury on my pinkie finger. While it wasn’t anything to obsess about, I had to keep it clean, wrapped, and dry for about 48 hours. Throughout the day I began to realize how much I used my pinkie daily without even noticing it. It was becoming inconvenient to have it out of commission for those couple of days. In the midst of trying to cook a meal on one of these days God brought the scripture above to mind regarding the body.

I pondered my day with an injured, what seemed insignificant, part of my physical body, and began to correlate the same principles to the body of Christ. Sometimes we think we hold an insignificant role in the body; nobody would notice if we were missing or didn’t do our part. Can I encourage you right now? Sometimes we don’t notice things until they are gone or out of operation. Just like a little pinkie finger I took for granted, it’s easy to take some positions for granted within the body of Christ and only notice when the job is not getting done.

So what can we do?

My challenge today is two-fold. First, if you are the one that feels neglected and unappreciated, take heart, you’re probably doing such a good job that it’s a seamless part of the church. Although sometimes seamless feels more like seenless. I want to say to you, thank you! We appreciate you! Keep going!

The second part of the challenge is to commit to pay attention to things that operate within the body of Christ that you might be taking for granted and show your appreciation. Does someone clean the toilets for you? When was the last time you thanked them? How about the person that turns on the lights or programs your heat & air? Have you appreciated them? What about the person making the bulletin or sitting in the nursery? The list is endless. It’s time to make appreciation and gratitude part of our daily lives. It’s so easy to complain when things don’t get done or aren’t done the way we would like them to be yet so hard to say a word of thanks.

I survived my pinkie ordeal and boy was I grateful for full use of a seemingly insignificant part. Let’s not make the same mistake within the body of Christ.

Father, thank You for all the parts of the body of Christ. Open our eyes to see the positions and tasks we take for granted each day. Help us to have an attitude of gratitude. Amen.

Amanda Keller

Amanda is a homeschooling mother of two great children and wife to Nathan. While Amanda grew up in Jordan, Montana, their family makes their home in North Dakota. Amanda’s passion for leading others in worship shines through along with her love for Jesus, her family and laughter. Their family loves to support Compassion International in whatever way possible. Amanda holds associates degrees in both music performance and office administration from Trinity Bible College. “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but something you raise.” ~Andy Stanley