Helpin’ and Healin’
Well, looky there at who’s comin’ up the path today, friend! Come right on up on this ol’ front porch and let these boards be creakin’ out a real warm welcome like they just remembered how much they plum enjoy your company. I’m mighty glad you’ve come stoppin’ by. Settle yourself into a comfy ol’ rocker, breathe in that crisp, cool air, and let the good Lord steady your heart the way a faithful scarecrow stands tall even when a mischievous lil’ crow tries to ruffle its straw. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” To deepen that truth, Romans 12:15 tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.” These two verses stand together like a pair of boots sittin’ by the door, ready for the same journey.
Friend, let me tell you a lil’ story that’ll sit with you like a warm biscuit on a cool morning. I was sittin’ at breakfast one day with a little fella who had an imagination bigger than an ol’ barn roof. He was an only child, but accordin’ to him, he had twelve imaginary cousins, four imaginary uncles, and a whole herd of imaginary siblin’s. When I asked what happened to a few of ‘em, he said real serious-like, “Well, three of the sisters got into some poison ivy and forgot to put a Band Aid on it, so they plum died. But a couple of the brothers got poison ivy, too, put a Band Aid on it, and they lived.”
Friend, out of the mouth of a child comes a picture of the church clearer than a mountain spring runnin’ over smooth stones. There are two kinds of folks in the body of Christ. There are people with poison ivy, and there are people carryin’ Band Aids. Sometimes you’re the one itchin’ and miserable. Sometimes you’re the one who shows up with help. And if you walk through the woods of life long enough, you’ll be both at different times.
The best Band Aid carriers are usually the ones who’ve had poison ivy themselves. They know exactly how it burns. They know precisely where it hurts. They don’t git to judgin’ because they have been there. That is why Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry each other’s burdens. And Romans 12:15 reminds us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. These two verses stand together like two quilt squares stitched by the same loving hand, tellin’ one beautiful story of compassion.
And friend, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says God comforts us so we can comfort others with the same comfort we received. That there means your scratches, scrapes, and poison ivy patches ain’t ever wasted. They become the very places where God equips you to help someone else.
So, if you have poison ivy right now, don’t be hidin’ it. Let someone help you. And if you’re carryin’ Band Aids, keep your eyes wide open. Someone near you is itchin’ and doesn’t know where to turn. The church works when both show up.
Lord, help us carry each other’s burdens with kindness and humility. Teach us to offer comfort where we have been comforted and to receive help when we need it. Make us faithful Band Aid carriers in Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, there it is now, friend, and it plum looks like the porch breeze has done shared all the wisdom it can for today, so you can go ahead and wander on now and let the Lord talke your steps like a lantern glowin’ in a cabin window. Make sure that your compassion rises up like a lil’ meadow lark takin’ flight from the peach tree over in the side yard. Make sure that your kindness stretches real wide like a river that’s gotten a really big drink of rainwater in a big thunderstorm. Make certain your willingness to helps to grow deep roots like an ol’ cedar that has weathered way too many storms. And take care to see that you step into your day mighty ready to gladly carry a Band Aid or receive one, whichever the Lord knows you need.
With joy,
Gwen
