The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Cor. 12:21-26 ESV)

I am currently studying the 1700’s and 1800’s in both my history and literature class at school. That time period was very different from our culture now - whether it was the lack of women’s rights or the lack of technology they had available to them. However, at the very same time, that period shares one significant theme with our modern society: individualism. Individualism sees every person as autonomous and independent; everyone must do things their own way, on their own, and by doing so, they are becoming stronger and more resilient people. 

We need to begin to dismantle that belief system. 

In this week’s passage, Paul addresses the church of Corinth, in an effort to get them to interact with each other better. He acknowledges that every person has their own role in the church, whether that metaphorically be an eye or a foot. And while yes, those both have their own separate purposes, they need each other in order to function to their best ability. If they want to truly better the church, Paul says that they need to work together, with the same goal to make the church a reflection of Christ. Only then will there be a change, one of overflowing kindness and humility. 

The same is true for our modern-day culture. A person who is talented at framing a house may not be as good as the interior designer, and vice versa. Society teaches that we need to be as independent as possible, but in reality, we really need to work together with all of our gifts and talents playing their proper roles. 

How can you collaborate with other people this week to serve the church/surrounding community?