Little Member

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

Romans 12:3-6

Such a little member of my body, my toe.

Unnoticed, except perhaps during a pedicure, when all is well. Small, but mighty painful, when broken.

Who knew your importance, little member? Who knew how much power you had to stop All the Things? For you, I have now given up time, community, work, pleasing others, plans, and perhaps, just perhaps, a wee bit of idolatry I didn’t even know existed until you screamed in pain.

A broken toe can bring us to a halt.

I live in a country with socialized medicine. It makes for long waits and lots of time to think. In the hours I sat in a wheelchair waiting to be examined, trying not to vomit from the pain (from oh, such a tiny toe!) I reflected on the power of such a little member of my body to cause so much upheaval. The power of small things to lay a great man low, as Amy Carmichael often said.

Not that I am a great woman. However, perhaps hidden even from me, I thought I was. To admit it would seem self-righteous and prideful. Very un-Jesus-like. But the attitudes in my heart, revealed by this tiny, mighty disruption to My Plans, incriminate me. 

Why is disruption, slowing down, stopping, resting, losing momentum, cessation of productivity, so disturbing to me? 

When I am productive, active, doing, I matter. But now…?

Sneaky little belief, hiding in my heart, you’ve been outed.

I wonder at the source of my confidence. How could such a heresy lie hidden in me? My left brain understands and even teaches others about the grace of God. That tremendous grace that makes us all members of Christ’s body. Smallest to greatest. Yet my right brain demands experience to unite this knowledge into practice. Into peace. Into knowing no matter what I do or don’t do, I exist in a state of grace.

This little member of my body is God’s mighty messenger. So as I sit here, foot bandaged and elevated, listening to the church bells ringing in the distance, I am listening.

Teach me, little member. Give me Jesus’ words today and show me my heart. Surely I don’t slow down often enough to experience grace. I’m tired of knowing and not practicing. Lord, as you mend my broken foot, mend my broken understanding of grace. 

What small member is disrupting your life today? It may be God’s mighty messenger of #grace Share on X

Lord, help me stop and notice your little members, your mighty messengers today. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Image by Thorsten Frenzel from Pixabay