A big head. That's what I have sometimes. Maybe you do to? I often think that I am the brain center for everything around me, or that what I see should be the viewpoint of everyone else, or that my words should be heeded all the time by all others. I have a big head.
The real problem with that is that I am not the head of everything. I'm not the commander over the world. My hair does not flow over all creation. My ears do not hear everything below me. My nose does not smell everyone's sacrifices to me. I am not the maker of people's movement. I am not the director of people's actions. People do not have to serve me because I am their head.
In fact, in my less than great moments, maybe I am more like a big hairy mole on the back… or maybe a hangnail… or perhaps even an infected pinky toe. I am definitely not the head of everybody. In my better than bad moments, maybe I am more like an elbow or a hip… or the pancreas or calf. Why should I assume I am on top of everyone- in charge? God is in that position. Not me. I need to be honest in my estimation of myself.
Whatever part of the body I am, I need to act like that part… and I need to understand how much value I have because of the role I play. Romans 12 compares the Church to the "body of Christ." Everyone who follows Jesus (the true head!) serves his desires and directives. Each person is uniquely gifted to perform unique tasks. I suppose even the bellybutton has served an important purpose. [Maybe not the appendix… but maybe the body of Christ has had the appendix removed?] Not one of us is more valuable to Christ than the other… and in actuality each one of us is so incredibly important to him. Christ does not want his pinky finger severed. He loves his pinky finger!
This is why Paul says: "As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others."
(photo from http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/03/07/the-internet-now-helps-you-peel-your-skin-away/)