Crutches
How do we treat the weakest among us?
On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. - 1 Corinthians 12:22-26
In the analogy Paul gives us, we see that when it comes to the parts of our body, the inferior and the weak get greater respect than the superior and the strong.
Of course we cover up certain body parts, not just for decency sake, but out of necessity, to avoid harm and exposure to the elements.
Paul's point is we should treat each other with the same respect that we treat the parts of our body. Those among us who are weakest or who need protection from harm should be given special attention.
That's not how we see the world, is it?
We tend to accept and reward those who follow the rules and banish or dismiss those who don't. The strong survive and the weak fall away.
But what if we changed our strategy and gave the weakest greater support? What if we truly saw us as a single body where one member was in need of additional support?
When we break a leg, we get crutches and employ our arms to help us walk. We don't give up, but move on.
If technology would enable us to replace our broken leg with a new robotic one, would we do it, or would we see that as insane and work to heal our leg instead?
When a member of our team falls on hard times or gets ill, we all pick up the slack and do what we can to get the work done without him, until he can come back and contribute fully.
What we would do for ourselves, we should be able to do for each other.
So, Paul's message is valid. We are responsible for each other, and we have a duty to help where help is needed. We cannot and should not abandon those who are weak or broken.
We should grab the crutches and walk.
More to come...