The apostle Paul writes, “For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). He explains that though one part of the body can’t accomplish what another part can, this doesn’t mean it is any less important.

So it is with us. We are each different, and every difference represents a unique contribution we can make in serving the Lord. Whether we are young or old, speak English as a first or second language, completed schooling or dropped out, our individual experiences and perspectives enrich the body of Christ. Or, as Paul says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

We need one another in order to become our true selves, and to bring God glory through the church. “By this all people will know that you are My disciples,” Jesus said, “if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). We’re a family, after all—one that spans the entire earth.