We Each Have our Part to Play
This week we said goodbye to our interns – Jamie as he moves on, and Josh, just for the summer. We spent their last day celebrating them and all they had achieved this year and having some fun together. We did a couple of escape rooms, which were absolutely brilliant! I would highly recommend doing one if you haven’t before. We escaped from both of them, the first with only seconds to spare, the second we escaped with 8 minutes still on the clock! But the thing that struck me while we were trying to work out the tasks and free ourselves, was that each one of us played a very different role within the team – each of us had a different skill set which when put together worked really well and enabled us to work out the tasks and escape the room.
I was reminded that each one of us has been given something special, something which makes us unique and when used within the body of Christ, all the pieces fitting, the body works well.
I was reminded of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, which says,
12 There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. 13 We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so, we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves, or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. 14 So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.
15 Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So, I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 16 And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So, I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18 God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19 If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 20 As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.
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 honour. 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 honour 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 honoured, every part shares in its joy.
27 You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.
I am struck by the end of that passage – each one of us is a part of it. I think sometimes we can get caught up in believing the lie that we are not good enough, that we are not significant, that what we bring to the table isn’t as important as somebody else. This was a reminder to me this week that my unique gifts, which God choose especially for me, are important and valued – without them the body suffers. And I hope that this is a reminder to you too, that your unique gifts and talents are just as important as everyone else’s.
Written by Naomi Ackland, Office Coordinator for Swindon Youth for Christ