The Body is Not Made Up of One Part, But of Many Parts

So, if you watched this amazing commercial, you would be interested to know that it is totally real. It was done by a group of engineers (go figure) who took a really long time to think it through, put it together and make it work. I was introduced to it last weekend by our camp speaker and I was totally captivated by it in the shower this morning...does that ever happen to you? Sometimes I get on bizarre trains of thought while in the shower...I don't know if that's weird or not, but it happens to me. Some of my greatest thoughts have come while shampooing and conditioning!

Anyway, I started thinking about the Church, the body of Christ and how we're often like the parts represented in this commercial. Seperate, we're all unique, expertly crafted but designed to play a very specific role. By ourselves, we're valuable, but not nearly as valuable as when we're using our gift, working in tandem with the rest of the body. Although we try to do something great as indiviual parts, without the eye of the master designer, we end up in a line of slow moving parts. It's not entirely our fault. We weren't meant to see the "big picture", we can only see the "little picture", what's right in front of us. So what do we do? We walk in obedience with what's in front of us and we trust the master designer with the bigger picture, with what we cannot see. If we fail, we risk the failure of the body. But if we succeed, we play a part in the success of the body. What was once a line of parts, suddenly becomes a moving car. And the Designer is not surprised. That's what He intended all along. Just as a new car wows and surprises us, all the praise goes not to the individual parts, but to the Designer. And conversely, when it fails, so does the Designer's name.

So as I'm shampooing and conditioning, I'm wondering...am I serving where I'm gifted? Am I using what I was gifted with? If not, what part of the body am I compromising? While it may seem that my obedience (or lack thereof) only affects me, I'm reminded that it affects more than just me. It hurts the body, and ultimately it hurts the Lord. So as I'm examining the needs of our own Church, I'm asking myself, do I just want to be in the line of individual, slow moving parts, or do I want to cruise down the highway with the body, making a difference and bringing praise to my Designer? Good question, huh?

All this from a slick commercial and a hot shower...pretty good for a Sunday morning!