Happy Labor Day weekend to all. I’m sitting here at home enjoying the air conditioning and recovering from another surgery – this time on my left wrist for carpal tunnel. I assumed that such a minor procedure, after all it’s just a day surgery, was no big deal. I’d be able to return to the farm by Monday. My elbow surgery in July only kept me in for the weekend. It’s day two of recovery and I’m not so sure I’m going to be getting much done on Monday.
You see, the elbow, while sore after surgery, doesn’t require the same amount of care as the hand. The hand, on the other hand (pun intended), presents different challenges. I can’t pick anything up because trying to grip anything or lift anything causes severe pain. I try to be careful but sometimes I forget and believe me, it doesn’t hesitate to remind me that I can’t do that right now. One doesn’t realize just how important and how frequently we use our hands each day until their use is compromised…
Ironically, my meditation this morning was from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
“I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, no less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. IF foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings. I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so?… As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of… What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place… Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost. I don’t need you”… As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way – the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore more necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons…
The way God designed our bodies is a way of understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part; the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
You are Christ’s body – that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.” (First Corinthians 12. 14-27 The Message Bible)
I know this was originally written to Christians in a church beset by “getting along” problems, but it’s a great reminder to all of us today regardless of faith tradition or lack thereof. This ancient wisdom is applicable to all levels of our culture.
Take immigration for instance. The recent suicide of Pierre Damas Bel, a young Haitian immigrant who recently lost his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a prime example. This young man was an honor student who wanted to be a doctor. When the administration stripped Haitian immigrants of TPS, they were in effect saying “Get lost. I don’t need you!”. In fact, it not only reflects cruelty but reflects stupidity as well. Haitian immigrants make up a large portion of the healthcare industry, whether it be as medical doctors or home caregivers. Their impact in the community is to be celebrated and encouraged, not hatefully dismissed.
I find hope in the fact that other members of “the body”, neighbors surround the hurting member with their shared hurt, anger, and their healing. The folks in Minnesota who took to the streets despite severe cold weather to document the wounds to their neighbors and remove the cancer of ICE, took food to members to afraid to leave their homes, and support their community. I applaud the people of LA, Danbury, Connecticut, Springfield, Ohio, and countless other places that have shown the importance and care of all parts of the body no matter who and what they are.
Community, “body” – no matter what you call it you can’t ignore that each part is equally important. I’m an urban farmer. My job is to get fresh food from Opal’s Farm to our neighbors, to provide access to healthy food that impacts the health of the community. That’s just as important as the medical professional who treats the illnesses stemming from improper nutrition and the denial of access to it. Two sides of the same coin. Taking care of the other parts of the body – our neighbors and community members.
I’ve come to believe in the simplicity Jesus taught his disciples – Love God, love your neighbor, and everything else will take care of itself. Together we can take care of the “body”, one part at a time by simply doing our part.
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