One day the thumb of a hand looked at itself in the mirror.
"Look at me. I am short and stubby and fat. Look at those four fingers of the hand I am attached to. They are long and slender and go so well together. Look how well they fit together! The pointer has such intelligence and authority. The middle finger is so tall and strong and so well respected. The finger next to him is almost as tall, and whenever there is a ring he is always honoured with it. And even the smallest finger is so lovable, and cute and slim and fits in so well. But look at me. I cannot bend like them. I have only two joints and they have three. Look how straight they are, and I cannot stand straight. I cannot line up with them at all. Look how I am always pointing in the wrong direction when they are straight and pointing up together. I do not seem to belong to them. I am not as good, or as attractive, as useful or as valuable as they are."
At that time the head called to the hand and said "Hand, feed my mouth".
The fingers went off to the mouth and the thumb went with them. At first the thumb, who felt sorry for himself stayed in the background.
The fingers tried to pick up the knife and fork, and tried to tear apart a bread roll, but they could not do it well at all.
The thumb then joined in and found that only with him could the fingers hold the knife and fork properly and break the bread easily.
After dinner, the head wanted to hear some music and sat at the piano. The hand began to play, but it could not play all the notes,especially those far apart. It was impossible to play an octave when needed.
The thumb then joined in and found that though he faced the other way to the four fingers, and was shorter than them, and had one less joint, that he could almost double the number of notes the four fingers played.
After the piece of music was played. The head shook hands with those who listened. Again the thumb held back.
The person who shook the hand said in disgust "I feel as if I am shaking a rag". Hearing that,the thumb joined in, and with the fingers formed a clasp that firmly shook the person's hand.
The thumb now realised that he was in fact a very important part of the hand;that without him the hand would not be able to perform its most important functions. He later learned that in lands where people wanted to be cruel and punish people for crimes, that they did not need to cut off a hand,but only a thumb.
If you feel that you are only a thumb, don't hold back.
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1Co 12:20-22 ESV
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