Someone has to be the Meniscus:

I have been trying really hard to be better at listening to Christian podcasts.  I had never been very good about being diligent in listening to God’s Word or to wisdom and insight from other believers as opposed to listening to music that doesn’t always have the strongest Christian message.  I have started the Chrsitine Caine podcast that comes out weekly.  I am not the most diligent, but I am trying to be more aware of this as an option for insight into God’s heart.  

In these last few weeks, she discussed the importance of stopping our comparisons.  Sometimes we can see how other Christians are living and are convinced we need to live a life that is more like theirs.  We can be pretty content with our lives, but then we can look at others and suddenly we are filled with jealousy.  This can be in all areas of life.  This can be with the items we own, the house we live in, the adventures we take, and the friends we have.  

We can even be filled with jealousy amidst our Christian walk.  We can look at the lives some Christians are living or some skills they have and desire to be just like them. We can believe that they really have everything all together.  We can start to fear we are not adding up.   We can presume that the role they have been called to is so much better than our own calling.  However, we shouldn’t look at our particular role in a way as competition with others.  

Christine Caine tells us a story about a time when her ACL took her out for weeks to months at a time.  The ACL in our knees is not the body part that stands out, but it is a part of the body that is incredibly important because it helps connect the femur bone to the tibia bone while also working as a stabilizer in the knee joint. Our knees are the thing that helps us walk, run, play, bike, and stand, making hurting the ACL a major setback.  Now, I have never hurt my ACL.  I have known many people including some of my former high school students who have hurt their ACLs, and I know that it ends up a lot of pain and there are many weeks, even months of recovery for this injury. 

 I have, however, hurt my meniscus twice.  I had surgery when I was a Jr. in high school.  At the time, the doctors removed the small piece of my meniscus that had ripped and smoothed down my meniscus to go back to its original functional shape.  The second time a piece of my meniscus was ripped so deeply, but the doctors still took a chance and decided to sew the piece of my meniscus back on to the rest of it.  The doctors saved my meniscus.  The meniscus is actually a very important piece of the body, especially the knee.  It is the soft padding that protects the bones and the ligaments from grinding on each other.  A person can live without a meniscus, but there is more likely a chance that it will result in severe pain on a more regular basis.  

Sometimes, people are like meniscuses. Stay with me now, I know that sounds strange.  However, even though I have talked about the importance of the meniscus, especially to ward off pain, it is not something that is very big or seemingly valuable.  It is not the showy body part that everyone sees and admires.  No one will ever walk up to someone and tell them they have a nice meniscus.  (At least I hope not, because that would be a bit weird).  But yet it is important for every person to have a good meniscus. One verse that points out the importance of every body part, even a meniscus is Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;” It is a good reminder that we have been called to one calling and one purpose and therefore need to work together as one body.  It is essential for me to remember how supportive I need to be of those who are in the body.  

Maybe that is you.  Maybe you are an encouragement to so many others.  Maybe you are the one that others go to for support and to reduce their pain.  Maybe your friends know that you are someone they can call and that you will come and help them out in any way that is possible.  I definitely have resonated with this a bit.  I may need to accept that I will not be the biggest body part in Christ’s body, but I can be someone that will help with the pain that may come in the body and be like a meniscus.    

There are other body parts that are very important that we don’t always think about.  For example, have you spent a lot of time thinking about your shoulders or your ankles or even your tonsils?  (I know that not everyone has tonsils, but I do believe that it can be a good blocker from toxins).  Similarly there are so many roles that are not necessarily up in lights when it comes to the Christian walk, but yet are so irreplaceable.  For example, the people who are in charge of the children’s ministry at the church.  They are the ones that are in charge of the little souls learning about Jesus.  This needs to be happening, and that is a great role to be in, if you are in that particular role.  

My challenge for you this week is to write down the strengths God has given you.  Have you got a lot of passion, are you determined, are you sensitive and a good listener?  Are you gentle or honest?  What has he given you?  Then if you really want to be silly or have some fun with this challenge, go ahead and think about which body part you would be.  I decided that I would be best suited as a meniscus with an encouraging spirit that enjoys being supportive.  What would you be? And how can you use that for God’s glory?