Do you ever feel like you’re doing too much and you just can’t keep up? I don’t know about you, but when I try and do it “all”, 9 out of 10 times (let’s be real, 10 out of 10 times) I fail. There’s a human drive in me that thinks everything is my responsibility and if something is wrong, I am the one that must fix it. Am I really the only one? Is this really true?
This may sound counterintuitive, but part of becoming more whole is recognizing our dependence on others. As someone who likes to do things myself, that’s not the easiest pill to swallow, but it’s how God made us and designed us to live. We were created to be in community with others. And when we try and go about our lives on our own, we either fail or don’t experience life in the way we were intended to.
"17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 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!” -1 Corinthians 12:17-21
This scripture is focused on spiritual gifts, but it also shows us how important it is to remember we are all individual parts of the entire body of Christ. If we don’t do our part by leaning into community and relying on those around us, not only are we missing out on the benefit of being a part of the body of Christ, but the body itself isn’t whole because the place we were created to fill is empty.
In what area of your life do you tend to rely on yourself when God has created you to rely on others? How is God calling you to take a step away from independance and self-reliance to openness and dependance on the body of Christ?
Author: Gracie Martin