JUNE 17, 2 Corinthians 4:8

“Is Uncle Bob going to be okay?” asked Mark anxiously when his parents picked him up at his grandmother’s house. They had gone to the hospital as soon as they heard about Uncle Bob’s accident.

“We can’t be sure yet, but at least he’s stable for now,” replied Dad.

“I don’t get it,” declared Mark, as he climbed into the back seat of the car. “Uncle Bob is a Christian, but what difference did that make? God let that drunk driver hit him anyway.” He frowned, then added impatiently “Oh, I know he’ll go to Heaven if he dies, but God didn’t stop the accident. So, what difference does being a Christian make now, while we’re living on earth?”

“Why, it makes a lot of difference,” began Mother, but Mark just scowled as his parents tried to explain. When they arrived home, Mark noticed a box on the kitchen table. “What’s in the box?” he asked.

“It’s a can crusher,” replied Mother. “It’s supposed to make recycling a little easier. Shall we try it out? There are empty cans in that bag in the garage.”

“Okay,” agreed Mark. He opened the box and read the instructions. Then he took a couple of empty cans, set them in place and pushed the lever of the can crusher. “Hey! This thing works great!” he exclaimed.

“Try this one,” suggested Dad, handing him another can.

Mark gave him a puzzled glance when he felt its weight, but he pushed down on the lever anyway. “I can’t crush this one – it’s full,” he said.

Dad smiled and nodded as he picked up an empty can. “People who don’t know Jesus are often like this empty can,” he said. “They can be easily crushed when bad times hit. On the other hand...,” he held up the full can, “we’re Christians, so we should be like this one. We have the power of God’s Spirit within us. We need to rely on Him. Then, even when hard things – such as Uncle Bob’s accident – push down on us, we will not be crushed by them.” He gave Mark a hug. “What happened to Uncle Bob does trouble us, but we can trust God to help us and him, even now.”

Thought: Do you trust God when difficult things come into your life?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please remind me that as a Christian, I am not empty. I have the Holy Spirit within me. The next time a problem tries to crush me, I will choose to trust Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.