The Band-Aid

Our journeys are filled with emotion, wounded spirits, and troubled times. One Sunday morning the Lord spoke to me in an unusual way. It was a wonderful reminder that once through those difficult times, we are left with something we can give back to others.

Story:

Sunday morning during church, one of our gifted young mothers was presenting the children’s sermon. She always had great illustrations and I was looking forward to hearing her message to the children. She brought with her a clear plastic bag of cantaloupe and an avocado to use during her illustration. As she was cutting open the avocado, the knife slipped and cut her finger. It was not a very bad cut but she did need something on it. As she continued through the children’s sermon, I remembered the band-aid that had been in my purse for a while and hurriedly searched for it. I passed it to my husband to give to her as she passed by him. With a grateful smile, she took the band-aid, said thank you, and went on her way.

I know I should have been listening more to the sermon that morning but God placed something else on my heart. As I thought about the band-aid, it occurred to me that I had had the band-aid in my purse for about a year. It was still in its wrapper and in good shape. I wanted to be ready in case something happened to one of my two boys. Instead, God had other plans for that band-aid. To tell you the truth, I had forgotten about it until that moment. What I realized that morning was that we all have something stored up that we can give. Whether it is from a passage conquered, a scripture memorized, a storm weathered, overcoming the loss of a loved one, or strength from facing the darkest times - we all have something we can give.

Like that band-aid there will be a time when God will say now - now is the time to sing the song, recite the poem, share the scripture, and help someone walk through the storm. Now is the time to share the passage that touched your heart. Now is the time to embrace the darkness with another and uphold the weak. Now is the time to share a lesson learned, a trial overcome, a desperate attempt to get it right, and a deliverance that only God can bring.

I know that a day will come when God will encourage you to take something stored up from your passed experiences and pull it from its stored place like that band-aid and say, “Here, maybe this will help.” Like the band-aid, it will be taken, whether with a smile or not, and placed upon the wound. It will be a soothing balm for the hurt. It will help stop the bleeding and it will help heal the wound. What you give will matter and it will be a reminder that your suffering was not in vein.