by Linda Veath
… [O]ur bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part. Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NLT
As I tackled a rather large pile of dirty dishes, I glanced at the dogs who were busy eating their lunch. And wagging their tails. They were so cute. I smiled just as my brain took off. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if my dogs could do my dishes?
Miss Chris had the perfect tail for fan-drying the plates. Long, fluffy hair that would dry dishes quickly and safely. That would leave Mr. Nellie as the plate “washer.” But his short-haired, strong tail would break all the dishes.
Well so much for my daydreams. But wait ……
Mr. Nellie’s tail might not wash dishes safely, but his tongue could lick the dishes clean. His large, strong tongue could wash all the dishes in the time it would take Miss Chris’s small, gentle tongue to clean one plate. Each dog would have a part in the process of doing dishes that fit them perfectly. And as long as Mr. Nellie licked and Miss Chris wagged, the dishes would be done. If only it were that simple …….
As my thoughts returned to the “real” world, 1 Corinthians 12 popped into my head. How God had given each of us a specific part in His church body, perfectly fit for us. And if we played our part as God created it to be played, there would be harmony and joy within the body.
Even knowing this, we are still prone to jealousy at the part someone else may be playing. We look longingly at what they’ve been given rather than looking at what we’ve been given. We momentarily forget that God knows what He is doing. And when we follow Him, we will serve Him with joy and thanksgiving.
Whenever I see Mr. Nellie’s and Miss Chris’s wagging dog tails, I pray God reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12 and the part He has given me to play in the body of Christ. I pray we all do that, so we will bring praise and honor to Christ’s name in all things.
Now, to figure out how to get the dogs to do my dirty dishes.