by Robert J. Young, D.Min.
©, 2001, Robert J. Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]

el bow / 'el-bo / n: the joint of the arm, vb to push aside with the elbow; also: to make a way by elbowing

Consider the elbow. Plumbers and pipefitters know about elbows, but these elbows are stationary. Some animals are described as having elbows, but motion is generally more limited than in the human elbow. The human elbow is different.

In a way the elbow is a symbol of selfishness. It bends so we can draw things to ourselves. When we bend our elbows, we are often taking care of personal needs. We may be eating or drinking, or grooming ourselves.

The elbow is also capable of a forcible straightening, which we learn to use for pushing people away from us--another kind of selfish movement. In fact the dictionary defines the verb form of the word in just that way. We are usually repulsed by this idea: He elbowed his way in!

Why then did God give us elbows? The elbow seems to have been designed primarily for survival and self-service. We might argue that God meant for us to see after ourselves, to take care of ourselves.

Look at the elbow in another way. A mother drawing a child to her breast uses her elbow; when we embrace one we love, we use our elbows. When we give something to someone who is in need, we straighten that same elbow. As we work to make a difference, as we make our world a better place, as we serve God and one another, we bend and straighten that same elbow many times each day. Mine is bent slightly as I sit at a keyboard and type these words. Those who genuinely follow a servant Christ bend their elbows many times each day for others.

Pick a day to notice your elbow. How are you using it? The way you use it may symbolize the way you live life.