Detached

 

Detached

1 Corinthians 12: ²¹ So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don't need you!” Nor can the head say to the feet, “Well, I don't need you!” ²² On the contrary, we cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; ²³ and those parts that we think aren't worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care; while the parts of the body which don't look very nice are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ which the more beautiful parts do not need. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honor to those parts that need it. ²⁵ And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. ²⁶ If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.

 

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Walking into church, someone greeted me by name. I had no clue what his name was so I politely greeted him and kept going. This surface conversation was replicated with several people until service was over. I went home with no one knowing me or the circumstances I was going through.

 

• It was easy to be detached from other people’s problems.
• It was easy to smile in a group when everything was going wrong inside.
• It was easy to put up a front in church because others were doing the same.

 

Paul continues explaining the “body” of CHRIST. He flips from those who felt lesser than others to those who feel superior to people. “I don’t need you” is the mistake Paul is trying to correct. This brazen line of thinking is fostered by pride  and societal structures that naturally form hierarchies.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to break down hierarchies.
• GOD wants me to value what everyone brings to HIM.
• GOD wants me to know that when one person suffers, it is my obligation to suffer “with” him or her.

 

Detaching from people is easy and sometimes necessary. Carrying too many burdens can cause one to fall into despair. On the other hand, being detached puts up a façade that everything is alright, meanwhile life keeps getting messier and messier. GOD wants the “body” HE made to be there for one another.

 

No one is greater than another person. Only GOD is greater than all. We are made to share our hurts, pains, sins and point people to JESUS for salvation. Looking good in front of people is not the answer. Sharing JESUS as the healer, is the only way to truth. I am grateful for and need the body of CHRIST.

 

Challenge

• Do you feel it is easier to do things by yourself?
• What do you notice about the term “I don’t need you” in this explanation?
• What are your thoughts on “division?
• ”Will you seek help or seek to be helpful to someone today?