A Brain or a Big Toe

I'll have to admit, the beginning of my time here at BYU has been extremely humbling. I came as the top student from a school of a little over 300. By the end of the third day of classes I was beginning to wonder how I even got into this university! There are so many talented, intelligent, well-rounded people out here! Many that I associate with display an intimidating amount of dedication toward their passion in life, whether it be in music, school, or something equally impressive. I've often jokingly labeled myself as someone who does well in many areas, but excels in none of them. This label could have become much more depressingly real to me over these past two weeks. Strangely enough, it hasn't! This is largely because of a passage of scripture that I've grown to love over the past couple years.

This particular scripture is 1st Corinthians, chapter 12. In this chapter, it talks about the variety of spiritual gifts given to the members of this church. It describes the church as a body, with the members as different parts who all have important roles to play. One of my favorite ideas is in verses 17 and 18: "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." It always makes me laugh a bit, because it gives me a mental image of a single eyball lying uselessly on the floor. Despite this lovely picture, the passage has an incredibly comforting message for me. We are all a part of the body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No matter how insignificant we sometimes feel we are, we each have a part that only we can fulfill.

However, it is important to remember that even though we are all unique and important, we are also all interdependent. The brain of a body is useless by itself, and you might never know how much a big toe helps you keep your balance until you lose it! (Trust me, I have a friend who knows!) So whether my part is to be the brain or the toe, I owe it to myself and those around me to do the best I can! And in the end, my best is all He asks of me.