Linda Burch

Ephesians 4:1-16 NIV
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives
    and gave gifts to his people.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Reflection:
It was August. It was hot. This fourth-grade teacher was in deep trouble. I had missed two shallow steps on the plaza in front of Texas Commerce Tower (now JP Morgan Chase), the tallest building in Houston. I was almost positive my right ankle was broken, and the left hurt like crazy. Sitting on the rough sidewalk looking up at the building, I thought, “Thrill seekers parachuted from the top floor during construction and remained unhurt. Look at me, I can’t stand up, and school starts in six days! 

A trip to the emergency room confirmed my fears. The doctor walked into the room, slapped my x-rays up for viewing and announced, “You are going to need ALL the friends you have! Both bones in your right ankle are broken, and the ligaments in the left are so torn I should cast it, but you need some degree of mobility.”

To refresh your memory, ligaments are short bands of tough, flexible tissue made up of many individual fibers. They connect bone to bone, give joints support, and limit their movement. Stretching or tearing these can make joints unstable. Healing can require extended periods of time.

During the three months it took my ankles to heal, my friends were the ligaments that held the bones of my life together. They picked up medical equipment, made my apartment handicapped accessible, shopped, cooked, visited, and cared. A co-worker drove miles out of his way for weeks to take me to and from school. My friends followed Paul’s instructions in Ephesians (4:2). They supported me with patience and gentleness. It was humbling to rely on the generosity and help of others as they loved me through my season of need.

Paul urges the believers in Ephesus to speak the truth in love so that the whole body may be joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part properly promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

So, I ask myself, “Am I a good ligament? Am I speaking words of truth to and about my fellow believers? Am I noticing the good and acknowledging it? Am I offering words of praise and appreciation? Am I bearing with others with patience and love? Am I relying on the Spirit to guide my action? Am I helping to bind the bones of Christ’s church together into a strong, flexible, stabilizing unit?”

Prayer:
Oh, God,
Thank you for friends that point me in your direction when they remind me that others might be right and I could be wrong. Please grant me a heart that daily seeks your wisdom, and make me submissive to your guidance. In the name of your Son. Amen.