Partners
In Hope

Support Systems

Wednesday December 13, 2023

As kids many of us sang an action song with the words, “The head bone connected to the neck bone, the neck bone connected to the shoulder bone” and on and on down the bones to the toes.  With each bone named, kids would touch that area.  It was lots of fun.  Our bodies are a wonderful metaphor of the connection and support God wants us to have in community.  We all need a support system, and to be part of a group that supports one another.

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NIV) 

Each body part has a specific function.  An eye sees and a hand holds.  An ear can’t smell, and a nose can’t hear.  We each need input from one another so that together we make a functioning whole.  Our little toe is not a big part of the body but stub that little toe and the whole body adjusts to cover for the pain it is feeling.  We cannot see the enzyme called magnesium but if we don’t have enough of it in our bodies many things suddenly don’t work the way they should. 

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.  (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV) 

We each have different personalities and family backgrounds. We choose sponsors and create personal networks with people we can communicate with.  Support for one another is the reason we gather in meetings and share our stories.  Our input is required just as much as the next person’s input. Each person has different skills and so it is only together that we support one another and provide for a particular need.  The experience of old timers is as necessary as the input from those who just cleaned up in the past 24 hours.


None of it works well without “the head” who is Jesus.  We also need the Word of God and the grace of God.  We need to stand firm on the truth of God’s Word which will help us filter out every other thought or sound that seeks to bring us down.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I want to know You more and stay connected to You so I can uphold Your Word and be an effective link to help others in my community.  Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope 

Audio for Support Systems

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