[231 words]
Every medicine cabinet should have a supply of Band-Aids of various sizes. They are excellent for keeping small cuts and scrapes clean and making “boo-boo’s” feel better. However, Band-Aids are inadequate treatments for cancerous tumors, broken femurs, or blocked arteries.
This insight is true in our personal lives as well. A smile and a word of encouragement may get us through some difficulties, but these Band-Aids may be inadequate in other settings. A “be ye warmed and filled” does not solve an empty pantry caused by unemployment. Marital affairs or child sexual abuse demand serious counseling and extended healing. Grief from losing a parent will not be eliminated by a few cards and a tasty casserole.
Band-Aids won’t work with sin either, because forgiveness requires the blood of Christ. Addictions to drugs or pornography demand serious spiritual therapy. A track record of spiritual neglect will not be resolved by a simple prayer or a generous check.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Recovery from sin demands the working of Christ in our lives. As Paul said, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). The loving power of a forgiving God is better than a Band-Aid.
Don Loftis
via Calvert City Church of Christ
Calvert City, KY