Be the Best Armpit You Can Be!

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body, so it is with Christ.  1 Corinthians 12:12

     When my husband was in seminary, one of his professors regularly arranged the student desks in varying shapes.  Each time the students would try to figure out what the shape represented.  On one particular day as my husband entered the room, the professor suggested he might want to sit in a specific spot.  The class was baffled as to what shape they were supposed to be.  The professor then revealed that today they represented a body.  As they began to identify the parts of the body, my husband realized he was the armpit.  Not a very glamorous part but a necessary one.  The professor went on to elaborate on the analogy of the human body to the body of Christ.

     Think about your body.  There are parts that are more visible and seem more important than other parts.  But, is that true?  Your head is important; it contains your brain and sensory organs such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.  However, where would your head be without your neck to support it?  How about your legs and feet?  To travel about you must have them.  Your toes would seem rather insignificant, unless you have ever experienced an injured one.  Those little appendages serve to balance you as you walk or run.

     Paul used the human body as an analogy to the body of Christ because everyone can relate to it.  Just as the head seems all important, there are those in the body of Christ who are more visible and seem more important.  However, for the body of Christ to function properly, it takes all of the parts working together to accomplish what God has purposed.  Thus, there is not one part that is more important than another.  This means, if you are an armpit, be the best armpit you can be for you have an important part in the body that no one else can fulfill.

Lord, help me to find my place in the

body of Christ and then strive to fulfill

my role to the best of my abilities.