Last week, I was driving along in my car in the 95 degree heat, and all of a sudden, the air conditioner started blowing warm air. “C’mon, AC, not now!” I’m thinking. So I’m surviving and going along, and when I pulled into the driveway at the house and I heard a strange noise come out from under the hood of the car.
Then some hissing. Then some steam rising out from under the hood. Yes, the car had overheated.
So I got out and started looking, and I’m thinking, this is gonna be a big problem – expensive. My neighbor came by and helped me out. We got some coolant and started the car and did some things, and my neighbor thought it could be a small sensor or valve problem. But it seemed obvious that it needed to go to the shop.
Now, that was a Friday evening. The next day the shop was closed. The next day was a Sunday – shop closed. Finally, Monday came around, and I brought it into a shop nearby, pretty early in the morning, and waited to hear the verdict. Nothing all day, and then 4 o’clock rolls around and there’s still no call from the shop. So, I stopped by.
I got to speak with the mechanic Kevin, who had the car all hooked up and running to start to figure out what was going on. We’re going through the mental gymnastics together, and then he notices that the engine has heated up. He starts to feel a few tubes, and next thing, he points to some place that I can’t see and says, “It looks like it’s the little temperature sensor valve.”
He gets to work on it, and sure enough, no more problem. It took til Tuesday, but now the car runs fine, with the new little $16 temperature sensor valve that you can’t find. No huge bill, no engine overhaul, just a new, little hidden sensor valve.
One little part, and the whole car was grounded for almost 4 days. One little part, and the car was back in business, healthy again.
That’s one very important part! It may not be big, it may not be expensive, it may not be easy to find, but the whole car depends on it.
St. Paul tells us that the Church is a body that has parts: For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Rom 12:5)
And you know which are the most important parts of the body according to St. Paul? The parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensible, and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. (1 Cor 12:22-23)
If you think that you don’t have value because you are weak, or poor, or off the radar screen for popularity and influence, guess again. You are very important. In fact, the Church can’t be healthy without you.
You are a very important part.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Cor 12:26)
ALM 