Romans 12:4-5
For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. In one of our children’s books of stories from different regions of the world there is a tale from Bali called “Grumpy Gecko” that came to mind when I pondered this reading from Romans 12:4-5. The Gecko was grumpy because he could not sleep due to the incessant flashing on an off of the fireflies’ lights. He went to Tiger, chief of the jungle, to complain and ask him to do something about it. Tiger investigated and as he talked to each animal in the jungle community, he discovered how each is connected to the other and that they each performed a function that was vital to life in their community. He connected the fireflies flashing lights back to the creation of habitat for the mosquitos…the very thing that Gecko eats to survive! After Tiger informed Gecko of this connection, Gecko decided to sleep upside down underneath a branch of a tree so he would not be bothered by the fireflies’ blinking lights. So, as members of the Christian faith community, we all have different jobs and functions, but they all are connected in the one body of Christ. Just like God created animals in nature to perform different functions that are connected in the work of the ecosystem as a whole, we all were given special gifts that work with other people’s special gifts to create a community that can carry out God’s will in the world. What are your special gifts? What are the special gifts of your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors? Prayer: Dear God, thank you for our community of faith connected in the one body of Christ. Please help us to see our special gifts and how they can be used to do your will on earth. Please also help us to recognize the special gifts of the people around us. Amen. Susan Buda
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Authors:The people of Grace share their favorite bible stories for the 2023 Lenten Devotional: I Love to Tell the Story. Each day's devotional will be automatically posted so come back daily after 7 am for a new reflection. |