When Each Part Is Well, The Body Does Well

by Eric Elkin

“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.”

— 1 Corinthians 12:12

What has become of our sense of responsibility to each other? When did our own individual impulses become more important than the welfare of the community? I can't believe I just asked those two questions. I have officially become "get off my lawn guy." Pretty soon, I'll be eating dinner at 4 pm at an "all-you-can-eat buffet" to beat the rush. I am getting older, but I don't think this is an age thing.

Yesterday, a car flew up behind me on my way to work. The car was so close to my back bumper I couldn't see the engine hood of the vehicle. I assumed the driver would back off, but they didn't. One might think the driver was angry at me for being in the way- they were not. The driver was lost in conversation with whomever they were speaking to through the phone they held in their hand.

The driver cruised on my bumper for a while, then changed lanes. They weaved in between several cars, nearly clipping each one. Each lane change, though, provided a slower option. Eventually, I was able to move over and create an open space. The driver saw the opening, crossed two lanes, and was off their way. Again, the driver never appeared to be mad at the inconvenience.

A cluster of cars was driving with me on the highway when the driver approached my back bumper. One unexpected move or unforeseen action would have caused a multiple car crash. Every driver's and their family's lives could have been radically altered because of one person's impulse.

“As free citizens in a political democracy, we have a responsibility to be interested and involved in the affairs of the human community, be it at the local or the global level.”

— Paul Wellstone

We are one body of people, baptized or not. This body has many members, each with a network of other connected parts. Whatever we do, however, we act, each movement or decision impacts the entire body. Like a pebble thrown into a still pool of water, the ripples from the contact move out until the whole pool is changed.

Personally, I love this generation's embrace of personal freedom. So many people feel empowered to define themselves by how they dress. They will not let society determine these things for them. Not every style choice is my favorite, but what harm does it do me? This kind of freedom has sparked so much creativity.

However, freedom has a dark side. Those people who believe they have the right to do what they want when they want to will destroy others in their wake. What happens when someone no longer wants to stop at a traffic light? A person wants the freedom to water their lawn. What happens when their neighborhood no longer has water to drink?

Baptized or not, we are connected to each other. One great big body of diverse parts. When each part lives well, the body does well. Similarly, a destructive member does harm to the whole body. Former Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone famously asked a question while speaking to a group of union workers. He quizzed the people, "Whatever happened to the idea…that we all do better when we all do better?" I'm not always sure where the idea is lived, but I know it is taught in scripture.

Click to read 1 Corinthians 12: 12-26

Reflection Questions:

Where do you see signs of freedom gone bad?
Where do you find positive expressions of freedom?
Compare and contrast the two, who is impacted most by these expressions of freedom?
How can we live free while still be responsible for each other?

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