Poison Ivy and Band-Aids

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." — Galatians 6:2
 
Which one are you right now?
 
My grandson Sagey was telling us about his imaginary friends at breakfast. He said he had ten brothers and five sisters. When asked what happened to some of them, he explained that three of the sisters got poison ivy and didn't put a Band-Aid on it, so they died. But a couple of the brothers got poison ivy too, put a Band-Aid on it, and lived.
 
Out of the mouth of a five-year-old comes a powerful picture of the church.
 
There are two kinds of people in the body of Christ. There are people who have poison ivy, and there are people who are Band-Aid carriers. Sometimes you're the one who needs help. Sometimes you're the one who brings it. And if you walk in the woods long enough, you're going to need both at different times.
 
Here's the beautiful part: the best Band-Aid carriers are usually the ones who have had poison ivy themselves. They know what it feels like. They know where it hurts. They don't judge because they've been there.
 
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
 
If you've got poison ivy right now, don't hide it. Let someone help. And if you're a Band-Aid carrier, keep your eyes open. Someone near you is itching and doesn't know where to turn.
 
The church works when both show up.