Taylor pulled a chair to the table where her mother and grandmother sat chatting.

            “Taylor, dear, I’m so proud of you. Congratulations on your high school graduation.”
            “Thanks, Grandma Bessie. I’m glad you could come to my party.”
            “Of course, dear. Tell me again what you plan to study in college.”

            Taylor swelled with pride. “I’m majoring in chemistry. I’m going to cure cancer someday.”

            “That’s wonderful, child. You’ve always been a bright one.” Grandma Bessie patted her arm. “What about those two young ladies you’re always with?”
            Monica, Taylor’s mother, laughed. “Those three have been inseparable. They’ll be here a little later. I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you again.”

            “Remind me of their names, dear.”

            “Sophie is going to school for music, and Cassie for art.” Taylor pulled a face. “Aren’t you glad I’m going to do something useful with my life?”
            Monica frowned. “Taylor! Why would you say something like that? Do you think music and art aren’t important?”
            “Not really. They’re not like curing cancer. I want to do something worthwhile in my life.”

            “God calls us all to minister to others in different ways. You’re science minded, but that doesn’t make Sophie’s musical gifts less valuable or Cassie’s art less important. God gave them gifts as well.”

            Taylor’s uncle Byron joined the conversation. “What a boring world it would be if we all pursued the same thing. In fact, I heard a story on the radio on the way over here. I was listening to Christian radio, and a caller called in telling of how she was thinking of taking her own life, but she turned on the radio and the words of the song she heard made her change her mind. She ended up calling the station and a pastor prayed with her to accept Jesus.”
            “You mean the song saved her life?” Taylor asked.

            “That’s right.”

            Taylor frowned. “I never heard of something like that.”
            “You know what?” Uncle Byron asked. “Music is incredibly important to God. Did you know there are over 1150 verses in the Bible that reference some form of music?”

            “And don’t forget about the Psalms,” Monica said. “That’s a whole book in the Bible dedicated to songs.”

            “OK, I get your point,” Taylor said. “But you can’t tell me there a book in the Bible about art. That can’t possibly be important to God.”

            Monica snorted. “Art not important to God? Are you serious? Why, He’s the greatest artist there is. Do you think we need glorious sunsets or a forest full of colored foliage? White sandy beaches or snow-capped mountains? All the beauty that exists in the world is because of God’s art.”

            Grandma Bessie cradled her hands around her mug of tea. “Taylor, do you remember when I was in the hospital last year?”

            Taylor scooted her chair closer to her grandmother. “Of course. We were afraid you weren’t going to make it. You were so sad when you first got there.”

            “That’s right. I got out of the operating room and felt awful. I was ready to give up. They wheeled me into this cold sterile room. The blinds were drawn and it was dark and dreary. But then the visitors started to show up. The first thing your mother did was to set a bouquet of brightly colored flowers on the bedside table. Then she opened the blinds to let the sunshine into the room. Your cousins colored pictures and taped them on my walls. Later, your uncle Byron brought my CD player and played my favorite songs. The room was full of art and music. When I looked around that room, my depression lifted. I wanted to live in a world full of the love and life surrounding me.”

            “Wow. I never thought about it that way,” Taylor said. “I’m sure glad people made your hospital room brighter.” She sat at the table, gazing around at her family members. “I guess all that other stuff is important, too.”
            “Cancer is awful, kiddo,” Uncle Byron said. “If you can use your smarts to figure out a way to help people with it, that would be wonderful. But don’t spend so much time worrying about curing the body without thinking about the soul. The body is temporary, but the soul goes on forever.”
            At that moment, Taylor’s cousin Mikey came bounding over. “Taylor, come listen to me. I want to play a song for you on the piano.”           

            Taylor glanced at her family, then gave Mikey a huge smile. “I can’t think of anything I’d like more than for you to play music for me.”

1 Corinthians 12: 15-20

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 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.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for the beautiful world you have given us. We are thankful for music, and art, and science. Thank you for giving us all different gifts. Please help us appreciate others who may see the world differently from the way we do. All the gifts you give are meaningful and important. Please help us use our gifts to serve You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.