My husband paints at an assisted living facility. Have you ever thought about that before — that somebody has to paint these facilities? I know I hadn’t, until Michael got his current job. When we think of an assisted living facility, or a nursing home, we tend to think about the nurses and maybe the office staff, but we don’t really think about anyone else who works to set the place up and keep it running.

If you really stop to think about it, though, there are many, many people who work either publicly or behind-the-scenes. There are those who build the facility initially: general contractors, carpenters, drywallers, carpet installers, painters, plumbers, electricians, telephone and cable technicians. There are those who provide maintenance: janitors, general “fix-it” folk, and some of the same types of workers who were involved in building the facility. There are the office workers and the nurses. There are usually public-relations managers and recreation directors. There are dietitians and cooks. There are even the programmers who design the software that allows the office staff to keep up with everyone!

How many of those workers are obvious to the average assisted living facility visitor? Not many. And yet, every contribution is important. It works the same way in the church.

For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And 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.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think less honorable, on these we bestow the greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty. -1 Corinthians 12:14-23

Mamas, this also means that you are needed! We who devote our time to training up godly warriors for the Kingdom are no less part of the body than those who preach! Even if the world considers our role to be dishonorable, God does not. 🙂 Even if you think that all you are doing is “designing software,” that “software” is necessary for the proper functioning of the “facility” as a whole.  If God has made us software designers, let us not attempt to be office managers, lest the office devolve into chaos for lack of that which we should have produced.  If God has created us ears, let us not attempt to be eyes instead, lest the Body be lacking the ability to hear.  🙂