God has a funny way of getting my attention

God has a funny way of getting my attention sometimes. Lately, it seems I have been hearing God chuckle at the lessons He has been teaching me through my little broken toe. Yes, that’s right – lessons from God in a little broken toe. It really didn’t start out as being a funny affair, but the longer I struggle through with taped toes, ugly shoes and a definite limp – I find myself chuckling with God. No one spends much time thinking about little toes, until they stick out a little too far and get caught on a bed post or a corner. Then, that seems to be all you can think about. It is amazing how many simple, daily activities are affected by a broken toe. Until it happens to you, it’s hard to imagine. I am amazed that a little toe is so useful while lifting small children, taking dinner out of the oven, shopping for groceries, taking the family on a long awaited camping trip when the bathroom is almost a half a mile away and sleeping with heavy covers on. That little toe has a way of making itself known and limiting my activities. Every day I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 12 where the apostle Paul describes how important all of us are to the body of Christ. In 1 Cor 12, verses 21-22 Paul states “The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…” So it is with little toes, and all of us who belong to the body of Christ. All of us are indispensable. We may feel like little toes, ugly little things without much purpose. But without us, the body of Christ will not function properly. We all have a purpose and when we are unable or unwilling to fulfill that purpose, the whole body suffers. We all can’t be the head, nor would we want to be. But it can be really hard to be a little toe most days of the week. It is hard to imagine that ministering to our family through cooking, cleaning and kissing small boo-boos is very important – but it is. We may not be teaching a class, evangelizing on a street corner, or traveling to the far corners of the world to reach the lost, but we are all where God has placed us. All of our daily lives are important and without us being faithful and diligent in all areas, the whole body suffers. So, the next time I feel ignored, unimportant and weak, I will remember my broken toe and thank God for being part of the bigger body of Christ.