“If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?” (1 Corinthians 12:15)

In this interesting portion of 1 Corinthians 12, the various body parts are talking to each other. Not only does the foot speak to the hand, the ear talks to the eye (vs. 16). At first glance, this seems strange. There seems to be no pattern to why one part is speaking to another. But looking more closely, we find the less visible parts speaking to the visible parts. The foot and ear are not seen as easily as the eye and hand. The less visible parts of the body are complaining about the parts that are more visible.

Just imagine the foot complaining to the hand, “I carry the weight all day! This man puts me into a sock, crams me into a shoe, and no one sees me! You (the hand) are seen all day long. When was the last time this man bought me a watch?” A woman may receive many compliments about her hands, but rarely about her feet.

Imagine the ear complaining to the eye, “I am under this hair and no one can see me. Everyone can see you! People look deeply into you. When was the last time the man even thought about washing back here? The woman buys eye make-up just for you, but she never buys ear make-up for me!”

This may sound silly, but the body parts represent the various offices we as individuals are called to in the body of Christ. Often we complain because others are given more attention than we are shown. We think, “I serve in children’s church and no one even knows I’m back here. Everyone knows the music minister. The ushers get more attention than I do!” This thinking is wrong. The fact that your area of ministry is not as visible as another area does not make you less important or needed in the body of Christ.

Would you rather lose your hand or your foot? Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing? These would be very difficult decisions to make. Visibility of the body part is no longer an issue. Instead, the issue is which part could you function better without. Each part now becomes equal. You would probably begin to look for an alternative option.

When it comes to function, all of the body parts are equally important. The same is true with God and the body of Christ. God would not want to lose a children’s worker over the pastor, or the nursery worker over the music minister. All are equally important. Your ministry is just as important to the body of Christ as the most well known evangelist, pastor, or teacher. In fact, your gift and office are just as important to God as the ministry of Jesus Himself. Quit comparing yourself to others in the body of Christ. Thank God for your uniqueness and specialized ability.

Bob Yandian

Copyright 2009 by Bob Yandian Ministries.
Reproduction of this material in whole or part in any format without written permission is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.