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April 1, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Jess, to His Friends, by Lisa Mikitarian
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though
all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether
Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one
Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of
many" (1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV).
My husband gave me the priceless (no matter what he says) gift of a
laptop. No more going to the frigid basement to word process. Now in
the halcyon of my post-desktop computer days, I'm snuggled on the couch
with a blanket, coffee and thoughts. Ah, the bliss.
Imagine my annoyance when the letter U on my keyboard began sticking. I
found myself writing emails such as:
Dear Sam, My Generos Hsband,
What's p with yo?
Yor Faithfl Wife,
Lisa
So here is a salUte to "U"!
I circumvented the annoyance by relying on the spell checker. After
all, "U" is the least used regular vowel, so the changes were minimal.
This worked well until I received an email from a friend who asked,
"Who's Jess Christ?" Apparently, I had sent out an email in His name --
to a lot of people. The letter "U" may not be seen as often as an "A"
or an "I," but its absence proved embarrassing, just as the absence of
a smaller article of clothing might prove embarrassing under a certain
set of circumstances.
It's easy to overlook components that don't have an outwardly readily
recognizable role. It's easy to overlook parts that serve with
understatement. But in the body of letters, every "J," "V," and "U" has
its place and does its job just as every toe, elbow, and Achilles heel
has its place and does its job in the body of Christ.
We can't all be ministry staff and worship leaders -- for one thing,
some of us can't sing. Yet there are many beautiful and vital parts of
the body. The hands that prepare food for the sick or gather clothes
for the homeless are lovely. The faithful men who provide for their
families by persevering in jobs they wouldn't choose if given a choice
are men of godly character. The faithful women who find themselves in
circumstances they never could have imagined, but nonetheless, remain
obedient to the Father are women of godly character. It takes a variety
of Christians to build a strong, universal church body -- one that
reflects the glory and grace of Jesus Christ.
So here is a salUte to "U" -- for each of Us who has the seemingly
minuscUle, bUt absolUtely crUcial role of illUminating the trUth and
love of JesUs Christ jUst by living obedient and beaUtifUl lives and
commUnicating His love and trUth to every hUman being we encoUnter.
The sticky "U" situation also reminded me not to rely upon the
unreliable, over-lauded spell-checkers and other devices of man. In the
future, I'll stick to "Jess" alone.
---------
(c) 2008 Lisa Mikitarian <miks@shentel.net>
RELATED LINKS:
* If You Are Not Sure of Your Part
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200710/20071006_yourpart.html
* It Was My Arm's Fault
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200409/20040917_armsfault.html
* Made Up of Many Parts
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20001214
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200804/20080401_jess.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY MAKES SENSE, by N. T. Wright
Destined to become a classic alongside Lewis's Mere Christianity - a
fascinating and accessible apologetic for modern seekers.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?255
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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