ecaston.blogspot.com
Last week I fell victim to one of the main work hazards of
being a writer. I was engrossed in my writing when suddenly the battery signal
flashed. Desperate to save my work, I leapt up to grab my computer cord. I
promptly discovered that my leg was asleep, crashing to the ground and injuring
my foot and ankle in the process.
A trip to the ER, two crutches, and warnings that I won’t be
walking normally for a couple of weeks later…
Don’t worry! My work got saved.
However, the ordeal and the ensuing adventure of hobbling
around on one foot have got me thinking about what it means to have brokenness
in the body of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 12: 21-27, we read:
“The eye cannot say
to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t
need you!”
On the contrary,
those parts of the body that seem to be
weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less
honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are
treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special
treatment.
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.”
We often discuss the
body of Christ in terms of unity, of working together to achieve more, and of being
inclusive.
But what happens when
a part of the body is injured, suffering, or broken?
I can think of few things:
- · You experience pain
- · You have greater difficulty doing everyday things normally, or as you have usually done them
- · Your other muscles must compensate to keep up
- · You must be careful not to overwork other parts of the body to the point of injury
- · You have to rest the injured part and follow instructions for healing
- · You are reminded of just how indispensable that damaged body part is!
Think about how
easily these “consequences” of brokenness in the body might apply to the body
of Christ.
When someone in the body of Christ is suffering, we are to
share in the suffering, not cut each other off or ignore one another until all
is well again (Romans 12:15). As the passage in 1 Corinthians states, members
of the body are to have concern for each other and to treat even the weaker
parts of the body honorably and equally.
At the same time, we aren’t to push the weak or injured
members of the body, but to deal graciously, gently, and patiently (Ephesians
4:2). All the while, we’re to watch that we don’t fall as the injured part has
(Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 10:12).
In all of these instructions, it seems that one theme is
clear and must be kept in mind: brokenness matters because the body is knit
together, unified, in Christ.
When you and I are broken, we are no less a part of His body
and no more dispensable. Our value isn’t
in our strength, our ability to perform, or ability to fit in tidily and make
everyone else’s jobs easier.
Our Lord has a long
history of cherishing, using, and repairing brokenness by:
- · Leading broken men and women, like Hannah, Job, Jacob, Ruth, or Joseph to glorify God
- · Justifying all of us by the broken body of Jesus Christ
- · Healing and making well the broken-hearted and broken-bodied
- · Sufficiently working through us and on our behalf, despite our weakness and brokenness
- · Using the foolish things of the world to shame the wise
Injury, suffering, weakness, and most of the things that
cripple us are challenging. Whether you’re experiencing physical, relational,
emotional, or spiritual anguish, it matters to the Lord and it doesn’t count
against you in His economy.
“However, to the one
who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is
credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
Your work, inability to work, or
lack of being able to work as you usually can and do have no bearing on your position before God as a part of His body.
Take heart, you suffering! Today you may be or feel like a
broken part of the body of Christ. But remember that one who…
·
Rose from the dead
·
Gives us new life
·
Created our bodies
·
Will provide us with heavenly bodies
·
Healed the crippled and raised the dead
·
Teaches us to care for our bodies
…That Jesus is the
same Christ whose body we are a part of!
What assurance we have in Him, and what conviction to treat
each other accordingly.