15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
I have misread this verse so many times. I always read it that the foot was saying to the hand that it did not belong to the body. The foot is not rejecting the hand. The foot is saying that a foot is not part of the body. The foot is excluding itself. It is devaluing its own place in the body. How many times have I heard someone say that their small part is not important because it is not preaching, or teaching, or leading worship! I have rarely heard someone say that someone else’s ministry was not valid because it was not preaching, or teaching, or leading worship. So often we value our own ministry far less than someone else would. I recognize the value of the “small” ministries that take place. Without those “small” ministries, the body would stop functioning. But of course for the Lord, there are no “small” ministries. They are all needed and necessary. That is Paul’s point. We need to value our own ministry, our own contribution to the functioning of the Body. We each have an important part to play in the Body. Woe to the person who devalues either their own ministry or the ministry of another! We must each give an account of our ministry to the Lord. We each know whether we are being faithful or not. We each must stand before the Lord alone. But let us not fall in the trap of believing that what we do with our children is of little value. There is a time in our lives when pouring our lives into our children IS our ministry. But by the time they are teenagers, we had better be pouring our lives into them AND into others. They will soon be leaving our homes and must stand on their own. Our ministry in our families will shift over time. Infants need our undivided attention and energy. By the time our kids are driving they had better be able to comb their own hair. So it is in the body. The people who greet at the door are the first face of a congregation. Their ministry is often just as important as the pastor’s preaching. Those who arrive early and spend time talking with congregants as they arrive have a tremendous impact on the connection people feel to the congregation. Where are you ministering? Don’t consider what you do as unimportant. Embrace its importance and do it with vigor!
The Arnold Journey 