The Body.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Bill came home and thudded into a chair after 10 hours at work. His feet ached from standing. His calloused hands cracked, strained from hours of detailed work in the cold. Bill raised his head and looked across the room at the hand lotion. He stood to cross the room, but his tired feet stumbled. He landed on the floor.

"Really?!" thought the hands. "The feet haven't even moved all day! And they've been covered! We've been miserably freezing since 5, doing all the work for the whole body, and when we need some help, they lets us down. We're tired of this body. Good for nothing feet."
The hands stretched out and began to pull the rest of Bill forward. After ten minutes of struggling, he was only three feet closer to the lotion. His exhausted hands bled.

If his prideful hands had worked as they should, they could have helped the rest of the body stand. Then, the feet could have carried the hands. As frustrated as the hands were with the rest of the body, they were still connected.

Do you allow unmet expectations to disconnect you from the body of Christ?

Do you have a problem with needing others? Do you ever feel like you need to do someone else's work because you don't trust them to come through for you?

How can you encourage the rest of the Body?

When we lift others up in support and trust, they help us move farther and more effectively than we ever could have moved alone. We are the Body of Christ. He made us to be interdependent. Don't try to live this life without the rest of your body. The body will let you down. When it does, help the body stand. You still need your feet.