This is a guest post from Cody Poinsett
I remember just five years ago when I was the one graduating high school. It was a fun time, an exciting time, a scary time. But, more than anything, I remember the overwhelming feeling of being in control. Clearly, this was just a feeling that I had conjured up and ended up being nowhere close to the reality of what my life was about to become. Reality was the least of my concerns, though. All I was focused on was my ego and blind-confidence in myself and my strength.
As I’m sure you can imagine, it didn’t take long for that to all come crashing down around me. Within a year or so of graduating high school, moving to a new place, and starting this new period of life, it became abundantly clear that I was never really going to be in control of anything. Not only that, but I was also beginning to learn that there would be a great need for some sort of stability, something to cling to that would hold me steady throughout the more chaotic and unstable phases of life.
In I Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul provides an extremely powerful image of where that stability can come from. He clearly and thoughtfully teaches that the body of Christ is made up of many members that can together make a whole, with each member playing its part. When a specific member fails to effectively fill their role, then the whole family suffers. On the flip side, when each member does meet the needs of the family, then everyone grows stronger and more effective in their own role.
It took plenty of time for me to learn and accept that truth. In fact, I would say that it’s something that I’m still in the process of learning- what it means to truly be part of the body of Christ. But, while I still have a lot to learn, here’s what I do know: being part a Christian family has allowed me to stumble, fall, and waver, but because there were others that were invested both in me and in the greater body of Christ, I was never allowed to be alone.
- Pray for Justin and Chaney this summer as they transition into a new time of life.
- When has there been a transition in your life when you really saw the church step in and help you grow?
- Looking back over your life, where have you seen God work in these times of transitions?