Unified and Diverse

An anchor is a picture of extreme weight and strength. It holds down entire boats, no matter their size. But what holds the anchor? A cable. And what is that cable made from? Ropes looped with other ropes. And what are those ropes made from? A million little threads all tightly joined together. Many parts make up one crucial item for boats.

Scripture teaches us about unity and diversity in God’s body of believers. Paul uses the analogy of the human body. Every part of our body is important and specifically designed by God for an exact purpose. Paul goes on to show how this is like God’s body of believers. Each part has a specific purpose for the Body of Christ.

Our teams are another body Christ speaks of. Our team is unified but diverse. Every part is important and designed intentionally. A team has many parts: the starting lineup, defensive players, offensive players, special teams, the second string, third string, managers, trainers and every other position. Sometimes, all these parts can make it seem like one is more important than the other. But remember the anchor?

You may think the smallest position holds no weight, but remember the anchor? You may think the starting athlete holds the team together, but remember the anchor? You may think the coach doesn’t need you, but remember the anchor? Without the smallest of threads, all joined together to make a rope, which then makes a chord, the anchor would fall.

1 Corinthians goes on to say, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26) There are many parts to your team, but it is one body. Every position matters and is designed perfectly by God.