People tried to comfort her with all kinds of counsel: "It was just a tray. Not worth much. No big loss. Besides you can make another one. It's nothing. Forget it. You can give your mother something else. Don't worry about it." But nothing helped. The child was inconsolable. Finally, her mother arrived on the scene. Quickly, she realized what had happened. Kneeling down besides her crestfallen, distraught daughter with her broken gift, she hugged her tightly and said: "Well now, I think this is fixable. Let's pick up the pieces and take it all home We'll put it back together and see what we can make of it." The little girl hugged her mom back and smiled.
Isn't that exactly what the Christian message is about? The world is broken into many fragments, as are our lives. And God stoops down beside us. He hugs us and says, "Well now, this is fixable. Let me help you pick up the pieces. We'll put it back together and see what we can make of it." Christ offers us the gift of salvation, inner peace, and hope in the midst of our brokenness. We need to share this message with someone today.
(Adapted from Dr. Jim Moore's article in St. Luke's Methodist Church Newsletter, Houston, Texas, November 1998(
