Corinthians 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
I belong to a small, informal writing group. Every few weeks, we send
each other our short stories or essays and provide one another with
feedback. We encourage each other to keep writing and celebrate when
someone gets a story or article published.
All too often my miserly heart wants to hoard all the honor. It’s easy
to imagine that worth hinges on being recognized. Sometimes, I imagine
if one person is getting praise, then there won’t be any left over for
me. My writing group is evidence that this is not the case.
You
and I both know that there is plenty of suffering to go around. Like it
or not, we can share in each other’s suffering and still have plenty of
suffering of our own. It may be harder to remember, but the same is true
of honor. We can rejoice together because we are all valued and
necessary parts of the Body of Christ. In a healthy community, there is
no shortage of love.
Lord Jesus, you said that everyone will know
that we are your disciples if there is love among us. Strengthened by
your grace, may we work tirelessly for the visible unity of your Church,
so that the Good News that we are called to proclaim will be seen in
all our words and deeds. Amen.
