Part of the Body

Part of the Body Written by Mikaila Bisson Periodically, I like to look at old family photo albums that my grandma put together when I was younger. There are pictures of me at various ages with various family members: some whom I love dearly, and others who have died or fallen out of relationship. Whenever I look at these albums, I often have a mix of emotions: nostalgia, joy, grief, anger, and everything in between.  I think we can have a similar mix of feelings or connotations when it comes to thinking about our relationship with the Christian community or ‘body of Christ.’ Whether we like it or not, we’re all in some way a part of the Christian community. When we take a step back and evaluate what that means to us, it can bring up a lot of emotions, either positive or negative. This can make our participation in that body either strong or weak, depending on our own individual experiences. But 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 describes us all as parts of one body – each of us still connected, regardless of how strong or weak that body part may be. Each of us works together to form the body (or family) of Christ, no matter where we are in our faith journey. For me, this brings great joy! Not so that I can put off my responsibilities as a member of the body, but because I have a network of other members who can support me when I’m feeling weak or vice versa when I have strength to give.