Meet Claire Curtis

As you may have seen in my bio, I am hearing impaired in one ear and deaf in the other. My ears may not work well, but I am pretty thankful I can still see with my eyes, smell with my nose, and talk and enjoy foods with my mouth. I have feet to go places and two hands to serve. Although one part of my body doesn't function perfectly, I have other parts that compensate for it. 1 Corinthians 12:21 says, "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.'" Our body parts all have different functions, but they work together. The same goes for us as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

Because of being hearing impaired, I often need extra help from others. But sometimes in my selfishness and insecurity, I find myself falling into a trap of self-sufficiency. I have days when I think, "I can do this myself," or "I don't need my community, coworkers, or family; I'll figure it out." I have other days when I isolate because I don't want to admit I need help (pride, anyone?). Although I want to do things on my own or retreat from people, I am reminded that God created us to need one another. From the beginning, God knew it was not good for man to be alone, so he created a helper (Genesis 2:18). We, as one body of believers, are called to come together.

Not only are we called to be united as one body, thanks to our common ground in Jesus, we are also called to recognize each other as individuals and embrace each other's gifts. Didn't God tell us we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)? God created us as unique individuals with our own distinct purpose and talents to serve His kingdom. We may be very different from each other, but we still belong in the same body. Today, I am thankful that we are not alike, and we can still serve and love alongside each other as the body of Christ.