A Little Burn

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:20-26

Ruben tossed the ice in the sink. The burn on the palm of his hand had stopped hurting. What a relief.

But by the time he got back upstairs to play with his connecting blocks, the little red mark had started to sting a bit. Ruben ignored it. He had a spaceship to finish.

He attached a row of laser guns to one side of the ship. As he extended the wing tips with long thin pieces, the pain in his hand increased. Ruben stopped building and cradled his burned hand with his good one. Why was he so wimpy? It was just a little burn!

He picked up another piece with his good hand, but the pain from the burn was overwhelming. He dropped the piece and ran to Mom.

“You need ointment and more ice, Ruben,” she said. “Why did you throw the ice away?” She spread a little ointment on his hand and folded his fingers around a bag of ice wrapped in a cloth. “Take that with you in the car. We’re going to take Mrs. O’Keefe dinner for tonight.”

“Why does Mrs. O’Keefe need dinner?” Ruben asked as he buckled his seatbelt a few minutes later.

“Because Mr. O’Keefe is sick, remember?” Mom sighed. “I’m worried about them. They could use some food and encouragement right now.”

When they arrived, Mrs. O’Keefe welcomed them inside and wrapped her arms around Ruben when he hugged her. “Thank you so much for bringing me this. Stay and talk for a minute,” she said. “I’ve just been so busy and worried making sure Mr. O’Keefe is okay that I haven’t had any time to cook. Thank you. You’re so sweet!”

“I see what you mean, Mom,” Ruben said a half-hour later as they pulled out of the O’Keefes’ driveway. “Mrs. O’Keefe had a burn on her heart, and we helped it feel a little better.”

“That’s right, Ruben. When one part of the body of Christ hurts, the rest of the body hurts with it,” Mom said. “You couldn’t function with that one little burn on your hand, and the church can’t function without Christians helping and supporting one another when they go through difficult times. We all need to help heal one another’s burns.” – Amy Glendinning

How About You?

Do you help other members of the body of Christ when you see one of them hurting? Has someone helped you when you were going through a difficult time? All those who trust in Jesus are part of the same body. When one of us is hurting, it affects all of us, and we need to do what we can to help. Care for other Christians by helping to support and encourage them.

Today’s Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. (NLV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Care for the body