I'm only a little toe, but . . .

I’ve never been more aware or more appreciative of the family of God. The Bible uses a body for the metaphor and this is so suitable. It says when one member hurts, we all hurt. If a little toe is stubbed, the rest of the body parts know it and rush to its aid.

This ministry makes sense. We live in a harsh and foreign place, ambassadors for a far better world, and every part longing for it. When life challenges us, who better to help than others who know that this too shall pass, that this place is temporary, that one day we will be with Jesus and that will last forever?

This week my husband was the soothing guardian. He has a friend and Christian brother who lives in southeast Asia. This man’s father lives in Edmonton, so we have filled in as “family” when needed. About a week ago, the father went to hospital with breathing difficulties. Bob visited him several times, then called his friend on the other side of the world and told him to come home. He arrived in Edmonton Wednesday night; his father died Thursday afternoon.

We grieve with him, yet he is so thankful that someone else in the body of Christ could be eyes for him, could tell him that he must come home now. He was able to talk to his dad before the end, and that gave him great comfort. Next time it might be this man who guides, or comforts, or hurts or even rejoices with someone else.

I’ve read Romans 1:1 dozens of times. Today is the first time that I noticed it is not speaking in the singular. This is a verse for the body, not just one person.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

God wants us to function by each individual giving himself to the Lord in service, but with the idea that we function as one body when we do it. He asks for living, vital, sacrificial service, a holy ministry, set apart for God, but in total harmony and cooperation with one another. We are to consider each other’s needs, be gracious and forgiving to those who fall and restore them, support the weak, aid the strong, love and encourage the down-hearted, weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who are rejoicing.

As one person, I cannot make it through this world with success or joy, but as a member of a body that belongs to God, I have the support and prayers of a multitude. Not only that, I have an alternative to selfishness. God gave me a larger body to think about, love, pray for, minister to, and be thankful for, not just because He tells me I must, but because this is the most reasonable and logical way to live.