My Aching Feet

F

or two years Jeremy, had been planning this hiking trip in the high mountains of the American Southwest.  Several of his friends had agreed to go with him and they had spent the last twenty-four months purchasing the correct equipment, planning out the exact route their hiking adventure would take, training and conditioning their bodies, packing and repacking their gear, and making sure everything was in order. 

When the group finally arrived at their destination, they wasted no time in getting started.  After giving all their gear one last check, after filling all their water bottles to the brim, and after flexing and stretching their muscles, they hoisted their packs onto their shoulders, adjusted the straps, fastened the harnesses around their waists and started off on their trek across the awaiting peaks.  The early morning sun greeted them as they made the last turn out of base camp and began their upward ascent.  At last, the journey had begun!

Things progressed smoothly during the first several days of the trail.  The weather cooperated, the friends made good time hiking from one destination to another along their itinerary, they experienced beautiful sunrises, sunsets, several encounters with mule deer and elk, and they were captivated by the differences in the countryside laid out before them.  Everything went perfectly and it seemed the trek would go off without a hitch.  That was before day four.

On the morning of the fourth day, Jeremy awoke with a dull ache on the outside of his right foot.  He didn’t think anything of it, chalking it up to the steep climb they had made the day before in order to reach their current location.  The group broke camp, threw on their packs and started the next leg of their hike.  About thirty minutes after leaving camp, Jeremy found himself in excruciating pain.  The small toe of his right foot felt as if someone were working on it with a sledge hammer.  Each step he took sent waves of pain shooting up his leg.  He gritted his teeth and doubled his determination but it was no use.  Every step of his right foot brought discomfort to his whole body. 

Finally, after an hour and a half of painful hiking, he stopped, removed his pack, sat down, took off his boot and sock, and stared in disbelief at his foot.  There, on the outside of the toe was a festering blister.  It wasn’t much to look at but the slightest touch made him wince.  The pressure of his boot rubbing against it coupled with his continued walking caused the blister to grow and to turn his hike from a glorious adventure into a torturous experience.  Nothing else, not the weight of his pack or the stiffness in his legs, caused him as much grief as that little blister.  It affected not only his foot but his whole body.

The Apostle Paul made a similar observation in 1 Corinthians 12:26. In this passage of scripture, Paul makes the following observation, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.”  Instead of talking about a blister on the foot, Paul’s comments address the relationship we are to have with our fellow believers.  In this chapter from 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the different roles believers play in the body of Christ.  We don’t all have the same functions, gifts, or responsibilities but we all make up one body, the body of Christ.

As members of the same body, we are inextricably linked to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Even though our relationships with God through Jesus Christ are distinct and separate, we are connected and related to our fellow believers because we are all in Christ.  This means we have a responsibility not only to Christ but to each other.  We are to care for all the members of the body so that the entire body can function properly and in unison.  This is what Paul means when he says that the entire body of believes suffers when one believer suffers and all are glad when one of us rejoices.

Knowing that one of our brothers or sisters in Christ is having a difficult time should have the same effect on us as the blister on Jeremy’s foot had for the rest of his body.  Although his heart still functioned, his legs still worked, and his eyes could see, his entire experience was painful due to that small blister.  His entire body suffered because one part was in pain.  Likewise, when he cared for his toe and bandaged it, the pain went away and his experience was pleasant and enjoyable.

This is what it means to be united to the other members of Christ’s body.  We must realize that we are our brother’s keeper and that we are to care for the other members of the body when they experience difficult and painful times. When they suffer, we suffer as well and when they are happy, our joy is full and complete.  Do you know someone who has a blister today?  Are you willing to share his pain and encourage him until he experiences the full joy of Christ?