“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor. 12: 27)

A few months ago, when it was too cold to walk outside, I decided to change up my exercise routine and work out inside. I signed up for some free workout videos, some of which were much more vigorous than my usual walk. My Yorkie, Lilly, watched from her comfy spot on the couch. She likes to walk, but working out just isn’t her thing.

Not long after a particularly spirited workout, the pain set in. At that point, I’d been exercising for almost a month, so I thought my body had adjusted. But that day, I woke with an aching hip, and the pain spread to my knee and my back. After a few days of rest, the pain subsided, and I could move normally again. I resolved to stick to walking and forego the more energetic workouts for a while.

But somehow, I kept reaggravating the injury. My hip ached often, and occasionally, the pain radiated down my leg and up and across and my lower back.

Back pain is one of the most common ailments in the US. Maybe it’s because we lead such sedentary lives. Maybe it’s because we don’t do much physical labor to strengthen those muscles. I know both things are true in my case. I sit at a computer all day, and I have to be intentional about moving around.

I never used to have back trouble, but I’m getting older, and I forget that sometimes. I can’t do all the things I used to do, and it takes longer to heal when I get hurt.

When my body rebels against me, nothing seems to work right. I’m reminded of Paul’s analogy in the Bible about all parts of the body working together just as all members of the body of Christ (us) should work together: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Cor. 12: 21–22).

Each member of the body of Christ serves an individual purpose (i.e., preaching, teaching, serving), but all are important and must also work together for the collective good.

As Christians, we all have a role to play. At various times, I’ve served, taught, and encouraged others, and sometimes all three at once. Since the pandemic began fifteen months ago, my role hasn’t been clearly defined as I avoided crowds and stayed away from gatherings at church. I think a lot of people have felt this same confusion over the loss of a previously identified role.

But even when we aren’t in the church building, we should still act as the hands and feet of Christ to reach the world around us. For me, that means being kind to overworked retail employees, reaching out to isolated friends, and sharing this blog.

What can you do today to show someone that Jesus cares for them?

Dear Jesus, thank you for making us one body in you. Show us how to work together to further your kingdom. Amen.