While reading one of my favorite magazines, Reader’s Digest, I came across a sweet story about a mom and dad who had difficulty getting their four-year-old daughter to sleep in her bed. Each night, the parents attempted to convince the child that God watched over her and that she would be okay in her room alone.
One night, just as they thought they’d been successful, the mother felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a soft voice, “Mommy, I know God’s in there with me, but I need someone with skin.”
I often feel like that little child, alone in the dark. While I know God is always with me and watches over me, I sometimes need someone with skin. I believe the body of Christ performs this function, as Paul describes: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Our spiritual gifts can provide huge benefits to others.
God encourages us to bring our problems to Him, but sharing our troubles with other believers is also comforting. I always draw on the strength of the Lord in times of need. But I’ve also learned the wonderful privilege of counsel from fellow believers. It is healing and encouraging for someone to listen to my words and acknowledge my feelings.
Do you lean on the faith of others? How can you be more thankful for the gift of another child of God whom you can touch and see?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and jaefrench.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Since penning an elementary-school assignment about her baby sister who could cry for hours without shedding a tear, Robin Stearns Lee has loved expressing her heart through writing. Her inspirational stories appear in several anthologies, newspapers, and Amazon’s self-publishing platform. Robin is a wife, mother, and grandmother. When not touring the country by RV, she and her husband lead a small group at their church in the South Carolina Lowcountry.