Church, Part 2:
The second passage talks about the body parts:

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? -1 Corinthians 12:15-19

Here is where it gets challenging for me. It is saying, to my understanding, that the church needs different members. It is meant to be made up of many different parts. We are not meant to be all the same, or to serve the same way, or to do the same things. We each have our different function, and each one of us is uniquely needed by the church. This takes away this excuse that I can sometimes get about not fitting in. I'm shy when it comes to picking a church. My husband and I have moved a lot in the last few years, and when we come to a new place, I always feel so much fear and insecurity about being part of a new church. I think, I'm not needed here the way I was at my last church. Maybe they won't like me. I'm different than they are. I think in a different way. Which, according to this passage, is exactly what is needed.

Churches need people. This seems like a no-brainer, really, but it's something that a lot of people don't really think to apply to themselves. If you are a follower of Christ, the body needs you to be a part of the body, serving your unique function. As a Christian, you are part of the body, whether you like it or not. You can't say that you're not part of the body because you're not like everybody else. You are a part of the body, and you are meant to function within it!