Kind of a weird thing to title a message, huh? But it caught your attention so I'll take it! Before I dive into why I'm proud to be an ear hair follicle, let's look at Scripture.
"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 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." On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV
Alright, lots to unpack there. These verses have given me so much hope when I start to doubt my role in life or how God is using me. I'm not the pastor of a church; I'm not standing up in front of hundreds or thousands preaching the Word of God. I'm not in the classroom teaching students or sitting across from someone, helping them through their trauma. I'm not doing life-saving surgery or flying an airplane across oceans or planning huge events. And my guess is, most of you aren't doing those things, either.
Instead, I'm staying home, watching my son, growing another human, and volunteering where I can. You may be caring for children, cleaning homes and offices, attending school, meeting one-on-one with people, etc. And although these things don't get the same public recognition and praise as some of the other things I listed, they are still good, amazing things. So, where am I going with this?
1. We are all one, serving a purpose.
"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (v.12)
2. We are made to serve a distinct purpose.
"If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body." (v.15)
3. God placed us and gave purpose.
"But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." (v.18)
We can't all be Pastor James or Pastor Jason or Pastor Greg (shout out to my pastors around the world). We can't all be counseling someone through their toughest times (shout out, sis!) or teaching a diverse classroom (shout out, Caleb). We're not all called to be surgeons or pilots or astronauts or CEOs or *insert what you deem as successful here*. The truth is, most of us are called to fill out spreadsheets, send emails, take phone calls, make meals, raise kiddos, schedule appointments, mentor individually, host Bible studies, fold laundry, wash dishes, meet with friends, and so on.
We desperately need the pastors and counselors and teachers and the like (the head, hands, feet, legs, arms), but we also are in desperate need of people to fill the other, "lesser" roles, which leads me to me sweet ear hair follicle. Did you know there are hairlike sensors in your ears that help you maintain your balance? If there were to be something wrong with one of those, you would lose your balance. Something that most of us don't even know about or think about plays such a crucial role in our everyday life and it's so easily overlooked and taken for granted.
Staying home with Paul can often feel like the same thing, day in and day out (especially now that we've added nausea and exhaustion to the mix and spend most days on the couch). But in this season of my life, God has called me into the role of being Paul's mom. To help him grow into who God has created him to be; to teach him to be loving and kind and gracious and generous and considerate and everything wonderful. God has called me to volunteer in areas of messaging reminders to people, sending emails, updating spreadsheets, checking in with friends. Those things don't get the high praise that I sometimes desire, but I am part of the body of Christ. And I have a place and a purpose, designed by the One True Creator and God.
He made me on purpose with a purpose and that's true for you, too! No matter if your role is big or small, seen or unseen, our purpose is to love God and to make Him known. You can do this wherever God has you: on the bus or jeepney, getting packages and deliveries, in your office, with your friends, ANYWHERE. God loves you and He has wonderful plans for your life, even if you're "just an ear hair follicle."
- Rachel
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