How a piano is like the Body of Christ.

On the baby grand piano I use for teaching lessons, one of the high D keys has been sticking for the past few weeks.  Luckily, I thought, the key was very high and should not affect the majority of my younger students.

However, today, almost every single one of my students commented on how irritating it was that this one key was sticking. 

It made me think: out of 88 working keys, 87 isn't THAT bad, is it?  One bad key out of 88 is roughly 1.2% of all the keys.  And yet, how much just one sticking piano key can affect the quality of the music. 

Those 88 keys remind me of the Body of Christ.  We are meant to exist together as one piano, but many keys.  Each of us are called to a unique purpose and plan, but each plan is related to the others so that they can work together for God's glory. 

Those keys sit idle for hours, days, at a time - but each must be ready to be played upon by the Master at any moment.  Each key must be available for music to be played upon it. 

This little annoying sticking key reminded me of what happens when any of us refuses to be "the best version of ourself" (thank you Matthew Kelly).  Sometimes, whether through sin, self-condemnation, worry, envy, etc.  we do not allow ourselves to reflect God, to be available to God, to allow God to make music in us.  Even though we might think this problem is only a personal one, it affects everyone else, and it affects the overall music.

To be able to add to the beauty of God's work, we have only to lay ourselves open to His hand and be ready to be played upon at any time.