La Salle High School near Cincinnati has a football playoff game this Friday. A nearly 5-inch snowfall Sunday night threatened to hamper the team’s ability to practice for the big game. So the call went out for fans of the team to bring their snow shovels to clear the field so the team could practice. About 40 people showed up to help, and the field was cleared in 2-and-a-half hours.

Clearing a football field would have been a daunting task for just a few people. However, they had enough workers to get the job done without overworking anyone. The fact that so many people pitched in must have been encouraging to all who participated.

So it is in the church. There is so much to be done, it can be discouraging if only a few help out with the work. But that’s not how the church operates. We are the body of Christ, and each part of the body has its function. When we all pitch in and do our part, no one gets burned out, the work gets accomplished and people enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”—1 Corinthians 12:27.