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Written by Rosa Perez, volunteer for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Little Rock, AR.
As human beings, we have been created to connect with each other. Our existence pretty much depends on the relationship we make with one another. We can’t live isolated, otherwise, we could die. Therefore, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. We become part of a group in which we usually contribute. We become participants since we have gifts or abilities to offer. In our society, some of the groups that we know are schools, universities, and private or public businesses. Sadly, our society has composed these groups in a different way where people’s gifts are divided differently than what Jesus has taught us. We have divided people’s roles in levels of importance. Some roles are placed higher than others. For example, the role of the CEO is more important than the guard that opens and closes the door of the company. In our society, we don’t honor the small parts that people give humbly, but instead we diminish them and ignore them. Sometimes we diminish the small parts that people have in the church.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function.” (Romans 12:3-4)
The body of Christ, that is, the Church, has many members with different functions, since we have different gifts. Each gift is a blessing from God. We haven’t done anything to receive those gifts. In the same way, we shouldn’t brag about them or belittle others’ gifts.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” (Romans 6:12a)
We have an example in the gospel of Mark where a woman poured precious perfume over Jesus’s head. She, being a woman from a small town, gave costly perfume to Jesus. “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial” (Mark 14:8). What she did was essential and very important. She was part of something really big. She contributed for the precious sacrifice that Jesus made for the entire world.
Like the woman that gave a small part for something really big, we also have small parts for something bigger than ourselves. That is what Jesus taught us when he talked about the Kingdom of God in Matthew 13: “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:32). From such a tiny seed, a huge tree grows so that even the birds can stand on it.
Small parts are important and can have great functions that sometimes we don’t realize. Consider the example James gives us, “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go” (James 3:4).
We come to be part of something bigger than ourselves, and that is the Body of Christ. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Each member of His Body, even the smallest ones, become part of his precious Body.
“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5)
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Written by Kath Bittner, volunteer of Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado Springs, CO.
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16)
Have you ever wondered about the little things in life? You know, those obscure things we would probably miss if faced with suddenly not having them. First sip of morning coffee. Fresh sheets. Grins. Earlobes. Good hair day. On the surface, these things appear to be inconsequential in the whole scheme of life. Yet we are often wholly dependent on these peripheral parts.
I am reminded of a time when I sprained my pinky toe on a coffee table. Before that moment, I would go each day without any mind to that particular toe. It was there, yes, but it never seemed to be of any real significance. After spraining it, though, I realized just how significant a part of my body it was. Walking was awkward. Wearing socks or shoes was agonizing. Pedicures fell by the wayside and my feet became calloused and dry. Foot rubs were a no-go, too. I missed them on those long days of chasing toddlers. And I felt life would be so much easier if the toe just wasn’t there. What good was it doing?
Sometimes as women, our spiritual life can feel like this. We may see our roles as insignificant to the whole body of Christ. Many times we serve behind the scenes as a church secretary, children’s or women’s bible class teachers, building custodian, communion preparers, etc. We may feel as though these are mundane parts, but they are as crucial to the work of God as any other in the church.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
No matter what part you play in the body of Christ, it is significant. The same Spirit that moves the preacher, song leader, elders and deacons, and even the apostles is the same Spirit that works in you. In whatever you do.
Women in the background have been renown throughout biblical history and were of great importance in the kingdom. Dorcas (Acts 9:36), Priscilla (Romans 16:3, Acts 18:26), and Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-3, Mark 15:40-41) all had meaningful parts in the life and work of Jesus.
“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
How we do our part is much more important than what part we play. If our part is done “without selfish ambition or vain conceit” (Philippians 2:3) then whatever we do matters.
"God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Our part is important because the Lord God has called us to do it. There is no small part.