Valuable

I had the privilege of spending this last weekend at the Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ (OAFC) New Years Gathering, and I must say, this year may have been my favorite ever. Many different factors contributed to this, but a large part of it was the theme chosen for this year - "Unity Through Humility". The devotions and Bible studies that saturated the weekend came at just the right time with just the right theme for my life. Hopefully I can implement the lessons learned. The theme verses for the event came from Philippians 2:1-11, which I've already talked about before in this post. So I thought I'd look at another section associated with the theme that was the subject of one of our Bible studies.
1 Corinthians 12 talks about spiritual gifts and our role in the body of Christ. Verses 17 and 18 say, "If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."
I could go on for quite a while with the literal meaning of these verses. Our physical bodies are truly miraculous in the way they are arranged for maximum efficiency. Just the other day I got a good laugh from a friend who was musing about the complications that would arise if our mouths were in the back of our heads, rather than the front. Anyway, the passage is really using the physical body as an analogy for the "Body of Christ" - the growing, moving, and working church. This doesn't even just apply to one congregation or denomination. All Christians are called to follow Christ's example and work together in His service. We are called to Christian unity. We must make peace with each other and be unified to fully live out our Christian purpose. And the best way to do that is by taking on an attitude of humility. This doesn't mean that we cannot recognize the importance of our own individual gifts. The verses above speak to the contrary. Each personality carries with it special abilities and functions that are necessary. These gifts are from God, and should be celebrated and esteemed! However the danger comes when we begin to esteem our own abilities more than those of others. 
It is all too easy to look at a situation you are in the midst of and convince yourself that you're contributing more than someone else. That attitude is prideful, and quite honestly narrow-minded. It breeds jealousy and contempt. My personal experience has made it clear that jealousy and contempt are poisonous emotions that drain time and energy. If we go back to 1 Corinthians 12:26, we find a better suggestion for relating to people around us: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." If we are truly unified and truly humble, this is how we should react to each other, showing compassion for each others hardships and joy for each others blessings. There is no room for jealousy and contempt next to such strong love. Love is an emotion that really satisfies. 

I know very well that it's often hard to swallow our sinfully selfish human nature. We have our own sorrows, how can we bear the sorrows of others? In the end however, it's always worth it when you find yourself being the one who needs sympathy or congratulations. Compassion is a sacrifice that often reaps great rewards. Strive every day to see the value in everything around you, and recognize the importance of people's actions. Everyone deserves to feel appreciated.