Guest Post by Author Cassie Downs
You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. —1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)
If you had walked into the gymnasium that afternoon, you may have wondered what horrific crime had taken place. There were the bodies of an entire fourth grade class outlined on the gym floor. But this was no crime scene, it was our big science project, and it thrilled me.
Fourth grade was my favorite year in school. I never made great grades in school. I could usually do the work well but ended up bombing tests. Unfortunately for me, tests were a sizable portion of my grade. Therefore, I was an average student on the grade spectrum. I figured a C average was good enough since my name started with a C. That should please my momma. Right? I believe that’s rational thinking. And turns out I wasn’t too far off in my thinking. Momma loved the A’s, but she also loves her average Cassie.
Back to fourth grade. My teacher that year caused me to love learning. I had never loved learning until Mr. Mizell showed me a fresh way of learning. Hence, hands-on learning and the crime scene in the gymnasium. I can remember the first day of school that year. I walked in to find stations full of learning games, a reading nook with a view, and a cute little library. Mr. Mizell even parked my desk next to close friends and it looked like this year was going to be different.
Fourth grade was a turning point for my learning, it taught me that learning for me comes by doing.
I can still remember my excitement as my lab partner traced my body on a giant slice of paper in the gym that day. I couldn’t wait to learn about the human body and placing organs where they go. It was as though I was the surgeon of my body. The heart goes there and the spleen here. What I didn’t realize is that there are so many organs. Seventy-eight major organs to be exact. And they all play a part in the body. Without one of them, nothing works as it should.
The same is true of Christ’s body. Which is made up of you and I. Him and her. But do you know what I see happening in the body of Christ? There are many of us that have stopped working. Maybe it’s a feeling of insignificance or disbelief that we are needed or wanted in the body. Some of us buy the lie that we aren’t good enough. Surely the body of Christ needs more than we can offer. It’s easy to see the importance of the heart. If the heart stops, the whole thing dies. The heart is super important. Right! But what if you’re the bladder or the nasal cavity, the snot shooter as some many say (not me, but some). I bet if you took a body part poll, most people would opt for something more appealing, like the brain. Who wants to be a nose hole?
But in 1 Corinthians we find Paul encouraging the church that God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be.
He created you with a purpose, as a part of the body. To serve a purpose in the body of Christ. Brain, bladder, nose, or knee. You have a purpose!
21 The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. 24 The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. 25 In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy. 27 You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. —1 Corinthians 12:21-27 NIV
Friend, it doesn’t matter if you spread God’s love as a pastor or a trash man, as the bladder or the brain. You are important to the body and we will not function properly without you. The body needs you. It needs me. And it needs them. This journey with Jesus is not a competition, it’s a community. We need one another, to rejoice and suffer together, to encourage and cry together. We are one body and everyone is needed. If you’re the bladder be the best bladder you can be. If you’re the brain, be the best brain you can be. Let’s work together, without you, the body doesn’t function how it meant to.
I believe in you. Be the body. We need you.
Excerpt from Unrivaled, a 60-day devotional
Cassie Downs is a lover of Jesus and her family. She is the author of two books, Chasing Jesus and Unrivaled, both 60-day devotionals. Cassie is also the founder of Everyday Jesus Ministry, a homeschool mom, and a furniture flipper. She resides in Stockton, Mo, with her high school sweetheart and husband, Dustin, and their three teenagers.
Instagram @downs.partyof5