A Three-Legged Dog

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

              I once had a neighbor who owned a three-legged dog. It wasn’t born that way. It lost one of its legs in an accident. That dog adjusted to life with three legs just fine, but it was never the dog it had been with a full complement of four legs. He never ran as fast as it once did. Car chasing and rabbit hunting were activities he shelved after the accident. I assume scratching himself, a favorite pastime among canines, was never as pleasant as it had once been.

              Now, missing one leg didn’t endanger the dog's life. He learned to steer clear of dog fights and stay off the road. He got by okay, but he missed out on the potential life once offered him. That’s to be expected. When you are missing a part of your body, your ability to function to your full potential decreases to some extent as well.

              One of the primary metaphors the New Testament writers use for the church is a body. The church, like the human body, is made up of many different members. Each member of the body has a special function that the other members aren’t designed to do. I’m typing this with my hands. I couldn’t do that with my feet, although I have seen disabled people adapt and do things like play guitar or type with their toes, it’s not ideal. In the same way, the church needs every member functioning and fulfilling their particular role to be at its most effective and efficient state.

              As a Christian, you have a place and a purpose in the body of Christ. Your church needs you to be functioning and carrying out your role, using your gifts, answering your calling to be the church it should be. Don’t let your church become a three-legged dog.