As a child, I remember sitting at the table in the dining room waiting for my mother to give me the run down for the weekend chores. Oh, how I just wanted to go play outside. And as I awaited the list, I was already strategizing how I could cut some corners in order to breeze through the housework. After all, what kid wants to be cooped up in a house all Saturday afternoon?
As I received my tasks for the day, I remember thinking, “Why does my sister always get to vacuum while I get stuck with the dusting?” I found myself envying her for getting the easier tasks; the tasks that were much more fun than mine. I now realize that if we both vacuumed, no dusting would get done, thus making the vacuuming pointless.
What I didn’t understand back then, I surely understand now. The small tasks of the house were preparing me for something much greater. In the process of housework, I was being taught order and discipline. The lesson goes far beyond the tasks; I had a role to play in my family. And my help and input was needed and required in order for things to function. My contribution was a privilege and it allowed me to take ownership.
But the benefits of a family go far beyond just the everyday tasks in the house. There is a special bond between family members, one that is unbreakable. They provide comfort and understanding through hard times, and are the voice of reason when you need to be corrected. Your family will share in your victories, and rejoice in your blessings. They are the ones who have your back through the good times and the bad.
This is exactly what we have in the community of our church. We look after one another. As a child of God, you are part of the church family and you have a vital role to play!
“Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” -1 Corinthians 12:14-20
It takes effort to build a community. Every part has to take ownership of its given role, and carry out that role with excellence. No church is perfect. But God has brought us together to bring the best out of each other. Just like any family, conflict is inevitable and communication is key. There is no family that doesn’t have hurts and disappointments. But the family that succeeds is the one who chooses resolution over bitterness. We are called to rise above the conflicts through understanding and forgiveness. As the body of Christ, we are called to love God, and love each other!