But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other (1 Corinthians 12:24-25).

One of my favorite books is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. If you’re not familiar with it, go read it. But in the meantime, I’ll tell you that the tale is of a man who, in a vision, gets to visit Heaven for just a bit. During his time there, he observes several encounters between people who have recently died and the residents of Heaven, the redeemed of the Lord. My favorite bit involves this woman who arrives on the scene with all the pomp and circumstance of a queen. She has trumpeters and dancers and retainers and the whole razzmatazz.  The narrator asks his companion, who is also a resident of Heaven, who this woman is. He assumes that she must have been royalty in life to merit  such treatment in the afterlife.The narrator is stunned to learn that, in life, this woman was a “nobody.” She had a menial job and lived in poverty. In Paul’s body analogy, she would have been a kneecap or a random nerve. But…she loved God with all her heart and demonstrated this love by acts of mercy and kindness to the people around her. In the eyes of God, she was worthy of great honor.

I know that’s just a story, but it reminds me that God sees things differently than I do, and what He honors is sometimes different from what I would honor. So, the next time you are seated in church, look around. You are in the presence of royalty.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.