Sticking out like a sore...

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
- I Corinthians 12:25,26

At work yesterday, I managed to hurt my thumb. I don't normally think much about my thumbs; they do not normally carry a high profile. I am not overly pleased or displeased with their appearance, I don't often spend time marveling about how useful they are -- at least, not until I can't use one.

The last hour or two of work I spent, utterly useless, holding something around my thumb to stop the bleeding. I learned a couple lessons during that time, lesson that I hope I will not forget easily.

First, I got a small glimpse of what it is like to be crippled.
With only four fingers to use (and those hurting) I found how hard it is, without full functionality to do even simple jobs like holding a water nozzle. I wanted to be of help, I hated having to sit around and watch the work done but I got the feeling that I wasn't much help even when I was trying my hardest. It was very humbling. I thought about how there is nothing in me that says that I deserve to have a sound body and mind; I could easily have been born without one or both of those blessings.

Second, it brought to mind those two chapter twelves: I Corinthians 12 & Romans 12 where Paul talks of the church using the image of the body. He addresses several issues about the body of the church in this passage but, as the quote above indicates, the part I have been thinking about is how the other member sympathize with the hurting member. In my body, my other hand didn't start sympathizing with my thumb only after it had finished what it wanted to do or until the 'weekly bodily meeting' where it showed concern but forgot afterwards when it had extra work to do. Once my thumb was hit, I couldn't think about much else for a long time. All my thoughts were directed toward concern for it, trying to find ways that it would hurt less. If I did something careless and touched it, renewed throbbing called my entire attention to that one little digit.

I compared these natural reactions in my body to the functioning of the church body. I also compared it to how I, as one member, react to things that happen to other members of my church body. The truth is that I do not act in this way. I do not often truly suffer with a suffering member or

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
- Romans 12:15

The question I am asking myself now is how do we set up a system of nerves within the church body so that we are truly of one body in Christ and reactions come naturally?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
- I Corinthians 12:18-20

I think that much of what Paul addresses in these two chapters (and in most of his letters) has to do with practical advise on how to work on this very issue.
may we all strive to live out this advice and may it be said of us one day that

...we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
- Romans 12:5