Romans 12:4-5
Just as there are many parts to our
bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it
takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different
work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
We have a Greater
Roadrunner that lives in our yard – or close by – and I have to tell
you…I love that funny bird! Not only is he entertaining to watch as he
scurries across our yard or driveway…he’s a wonderful addition to our
neighborhood. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website*, “…
the Greater Roadrunner can outrace a human, kill a rattlesnake, and
thrive in the harsh landscapes of the Desert Southwest.” Between the
Greater Roadrunner and the large black rat snake we sometimes see in our
yard, I feel relatively comfortable that poisonous snakes are being
kept at bay around here!
I’ll be honest… I generally operate by
the philosophy that “the only good snake is a dead snake”…but I have
learned in recent years to let the harmless, non-poisonous variety be,
as everyone insists that they keep the “bad” snakes away. I am still
scared half out of my wits by them sometimes, but I’ve decided that they
do serve a purpose. Now, Greater Roadrunners don’t scare me (we humans
probably scare THEM!)…but I understand their importance to our
ecosystem…so I am always glad to see our little “Speedy Gonzales”!
As
I read this scripture passage, I wondered…what if we had no roadrunners
or “good” snakes to control the “bad” ones? I’ve been reading about
the decimation of our bee population and how detrimental this is to us
in so many ways. I read a quote by Albert Einstein that said something
to the effect of “When the bees are all gone, we humans have about four
years left.” So many of God’s creations are vital to our daily
survival…creatures we never even consider - like a honeybee or a Greater
Roadrunner!
By the same token, each one of us is vital to
God’s grand plan. And as Christians, we have critical roles in
furthering God’s Kingdom and spreading the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ.
When we sit on our hands or hang back in the shadows and fail to act,
we’re at best making it hard on the others who have to pick up our slack
…and we dishonor Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf - the precious gift of
salvation. We are the “honeybee” in God’s plan who helps to sustain and
develop new life in Christ! We are the “Great Roadrunner” or “King
Snake” who keeps the devil’s “bad snakes” at bay. We were important to
God already…but in terms of the body of Christ, we are even more
significant!
Now don’t misunderstand me. God is
all-powerful…all-knowing…perfectly capable of handling all of this on
His own. But He has chosen us…Jesus rescued us…and in return, we are
called to serve – and to “do our part”. Have you ever stubbed your
toe…or maybe even broken it? If you have, you know that the pain of
such a small body part can affect you profoundly. If you’ve ever
injured an arm, leg, hand, foot, eye or ear and had to function without
its use for a while, you understand that your whole lifestyle changes.
You become focused in large part on what is missing…and how to
accommodate getting along without it. In many cases, things probably
don’t go so well as a result. It’s like this in the body of Christ,
too!
We need to stop and thank God for our body and how well it
works…to praise Him for orchestrating nature and how it functions so
perfectly…and to glorify Him for giving us Jesus – and our new life in
Him. We must pay close attention to our role as part of Christ’s body
and make sure that we are pulling our share of the load…that we are
functioning at peak performance…that everything we do honors and
glorifies His name and shares in the proper functioning of the lives of
fellow believers.
This is a good day to stop and look at a
bumblebee or a roadrunner and remind ourselves that we all have a job to
do…and to do ours to the best of our ability – and to the glory of
God. How are you doing so far?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/greater_roadrunner/id
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