Over Spring Break we went to the beach for a few days, but I never made it out of the hotel room. I was laid up in bed the entire time.

It started with a little stomach ache on the drive down, which turned into bad cramps, which turned into stabbing pains. By the time we reached the beach, I was curled up in a ball in the passenger seat wincing at every bump in the road.

I just ate some bad food, I thought, that’s all. All I needed were a few doses of Pepto and a good night’s rest, and I would be good to go in the morning.

Wrong.

The next day was the same. And the day after that. And the day after that. I curled up in bed, trying not to move because moving caused the knife in my gut to twist. Pain radiated around to my lower back. I was miserable. And to add insult to injury, my daughter accidentally kicked me right where the pain hurt the most on our final day.

We came back home, the pain still persisted, and I thought this might be something more than food poisoning. So I went to the doctor the next day. They did an ultrasound on my abdomen and found gallstones.

Gallstones don’t go away, so I had my gallbladder removed. Fun times.

What struck me throughout the whole ordeal was how something so small could have such a tremendous impact on the rest of my body. An organ roughly the size of a pear, and something even smaller inside of it, sent my entire body into disarray. It shut me down completely.

And then I thought about the analogy of the body of Christ. We so often speak of the body of Christ, focusing on how every person has their own role to place, but this gave me a new perspective.

We often focus on the different parts of the church body in an effort to encourage people for their own well-being and fulfillment. While that is true, it’s only a part of it. It’s not just a possibility; it’s a necessity.

Everyone has a role, not that they can play, but that they must play in order for the body of Christ to function normally. If a single person does not play his or her role, then the entire church body misses a vital part and can fall into disarray and become crippled.

No organ in the body is insignificant enough that it can be neglected. Even an appendix can kill the body if it ruptures. No member of the body of Christ should think their role insignificant enough to overlook. Those gifted with prayer should not trying to be preachers. Otherwise, the church misses out on the powerful prayers that they may offer. Or teaching. Or hospitality. Or music. Or whatever.

You are an integral part of the body of Christ. None of us should disregard our roles in the church body. Otherwise, we risk not only our own spiritual health, but the overall health of that body.