Yesterday morning I got a call from my wife Ruthie, who calmly said, "I hurt myself, and I think I might need to go to the hospital." She proceeded to explain that she had been in a hurry, and while rushing to get into the shower, she slammed her littlest toe into my dresser. (We had just rearranged the furniture in our bedroom last week, putting my dresser right next to the door to the bathroom.) Well, I got home as soon as I could, and as soon as I looked at her piggy, I knew it had to be broken. It was bent to the side and swollen, and it also had what looked like a "divot" in the middle of it.
We called a nurse in our church, who advised us to go get it treated. So we made our way to the Urgent Care center in Bridgewater. Praise the Lord, no other patients were in the waiting room, so Ruthie got right in. The X-rays showed that she had suffered an evulsion fracture, which occurs when the ligament gets so badly strained, it pulls away from the bone, taking some bone chips with it. This "forcible extraction,"or evulsion, is what causes the fracture.
Ruthie is now at home and in a fair amount of pain. The doctor has instructed her to rest her foot and keep it elevated as much as possible for the next couple of days. My wife is no wimp (her pain threshold is much higher than mine!), yet she is amazed at just how much her little toe hurts! She is severely hampered by this injury! Again, she's trying to rest her toe as much as possible, but when she does need to get up for whatever reason, she hobbles around like crazy! Yesterday she said something to the effect of, "I never knew how much I depended on my little toe!"
This reminds me of what 1 Corinthians 12 says about the body of Christ, using the human body as a word picture:
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
- vv. 20-22 (emphasis mine)
Some church members have ministries that are less prominent and visible than other ministries. Because this is the case, we may be inclined to think that they aren't all that significant or important. But they are! To lose them would have a crippling effect on the church. Our ministry as a whole would be severely hampered were it not for these less-prominent members of our church body! Indeed, the church is blessed and built up only as "every part does its share" (Eph. 4:16). That's why the apostle Paul goes on to say, "And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor" (1 Cor. 12:23). May we be characterized by the same attitude!
How can we do this? How about writing a note of encouragement to someone who ministers "behind the scenes." Or next time you pass such a person, simply say, "Thanks for all you do for the Lord and His church. You're a great blessing to our church body." And certainly we should thank God for all who serve faithfully in whatever capacity. Finally, each of us should ask himself or herself, "What am I doing to build up and bless the body of Christ?" Be thankful for the gift(s) that God has given you, and exercise them faithfully to bring Him glory in His church!