Funny how you don’t notice how much a part of your body does until you injure it.
Saturday I cut my finger. It’s a pretty deep cut and bled for a while. As I was applying pressure and waiting for the bleeding to stop, I thought, “Well, at least it’s only my ring finger, not my thumb or index finger.”
See, I erroneously thought that my ring finger didn’t do much. While it’s true that my thumb takes more abuse and my index finger carries more weight, the ring finger actually supports the hand quite a bit. Typing, for example, has been interesting. As has washing my hair. And I’m amazed how often I bump things with that finger now.
I think we often feel like a ring finger in the body of Christ. If you’re a believer, you probably know that scripture tells us that each one of us is a part of the body (church) and that we are indispensable, just as the parts of our physical body are indispensable. (1 Corinthians 12)
Yet we frequently compare ourselves to others and think that we are less important because we aren’t the pastor or a worship leader or a children’s Sunday school teacher. We think that pushing a vacuum or setting up chairs or cleaning toilets is somehow unimportant… yet those tasks are so critical!
So if you don’t know what your role is in the church, just jump in and help somewhere. God will guide you to the right place. And if your job is vacuuming or cleaning toilets, bless you! God will use your service to further His church. No job is unimportant, just as no person is unimportant.
You may feel like an injured ring finger, or a pinky toe, or an armpit, but God placed you right where you are to function in support of the rest of the church.
Romans 12:6-8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Candle Sutton 