We have all been in that situation. Your heart is racing, you’re sweating from every crevice, your muscles are burning, and you’re wondering why you’re doing this to yourself. Yep, you guessed it… exercising.
We all know that building up our bodies is hard work. Hard enough that we often give ourselves really good reasons why we can’t do it. I recently started working out doing CrossFit. (I know I know, I’ve heard all the jokes about how there are no quiet vegans or cross-fitters…😉). The first few weeks after every workout I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk to my car. But then the craziest thing started to happen. I started sleeping better, being in a better mood and stopped getting sick all the time. See, we all know it’s good for us, but sometimes the work of just doing it feels like it’s too hard.
I think we do that in the church as well. The Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ and that we each have our unique function and purpose. But even within the body, each part needs to be healthy for the whole body to function well. You know exactly what I mean if you‘ve ever hurt your pinky. You quickly realize that all your functioning is impaired and that little finger is the only thing you can think about even though it’s just one tiny part of your otherwise functioning body.
Maybe we are missing out on some blessings because we haven’t been exercising our part. We have each been given the tools to be equipped as saints; namely scripture, the Holy Spirit, and a community of believers. But is it possible that we sometimes just find it too hard to actually do? I know I do. I can think of 100 reasons why I can’t be involved in building up the body of Christ (and they’re mostly all over the floor of my kids’ room).
In Ephesians 4:12, Paul is urging the church in Ephesus to be building the church up, each part of the body doing its part so the whole body could function in unity and in love. And the same is true for us today. We each get a special blessing as we exercise our part, as “small” or “big” as it may seem, because that’s how we build each other up and glorify God.
And maybe like exercising our physical bodies, the first few weeks or tries will feel achy and hard and impossible. But after a while, we will see the fruit and the blessings that come to us as we engage in our part in building up the body of Christ.
What’s God calling you to? What part is He asking you to be in building up in His Church body?
Alisha Keating