My Jammed Finger
Recently, I was tossing the football with the boys. While reaching to catch the ball, it jammed my right ring finger. Anyone who has played sports has experienced this compression of the joints that injures the finger’s ligaments. While painful, it is not serious. Nevertheless, it leaves the affected finger nearly unusable.
My jammed finger reminds me that the finger is a member of my body. First Corinthians 1:12 states, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” No one is insignificant in Christ, and each member has been added to the body by Christ in baptism. Are you a member of the body?
My jammed finger reminds me of the importance of that finger! In 1 Corinthians 12:21, we read, “And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” With a jammed finger, I can’t wash my hair the same, tie my shoes the same, or write the same. I need all my body parts working! We need every Christian to work. Christ’s body becomes dysfunctional when one member is not working.
My jammed finger reminds me of my love for my finger. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25, “But God composed the body . . . that the members should have the same care for one another.” When I jammed my finger, the left hand cradled my right; my feet moved toward the house; my voice said, “I’m done playing.” Christians ought to respond when a member of Christ’s body is harmed. Will we take care of one another? Will we apathetically ignore one another’s spiritual needs? We must love, care, and change our behavior.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley