Are you suffering enough?

"In human society we are suffering because we are not suffering enough..." Dr Brand, quoted by Philip Yancey.

The danger of leprosy isn't the deterioration of the body. Unlike what I originally thought about leprosy, the body doesn't automatically deteriorate. Parts don't just fall off. What happens, is the ability to feel pain is removed. So a person turns a key in a door too hard and damages their finger with a deep gash. But they don't feel the pain, so they keep going. Then because they don't feel pain, they don't treat it well, it becomes infected, and it has to be removed or sometimes it falls off.

In order for the human body to function, trillions of individual cells give up their individuality and function as one whole. This whole is connected by a network of sensory receptors, including Pain and Pleasure, which are more linked than you first think. 

Ever try to get into a Hot Tub and it's too hot at first, but then it's nice. The temperature didn't change, you adjusted. Your pain and pleasure are subjective.

Just as the body is made up of cells working together, The Body of Christ is made up of individual cells. 

"... but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." Ephesians 4:15‭-‬16 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/eph.4.15-16.NASB

When a body feels pain, everything stops. You stub your toe and you pause everything to do something about it. The pain screams "Ouch, that's MY toe!"

A small child with Leprosy will eat their own finger off, there's no pain to tell her "Ouch, that's MINE".

We are not a functional body unless we begin to hurt when the body hurts.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

Romans 12:15 BOOKS

https://bible.com/bible/31/rom.12.15.BOOKS

So.... I ask you...

Are you hurting with other people's hurt? Does the plight of others move you?

Extreme Anarchists are too extreme to the side of Independence. Extreme Socialists are too extreme to the side of giving up individuality.

But there's a point in which we must each be held responsible to do our part (healthy boundaries never rescues when it should hold accountable) yet we must hurt with each other. When a part of the body is injured, we must stop and attend to it. 

We must hurt with the hurting, and collectively yell: "Ouch! That's my body!"

#Selah