Daily Devotional for November 20, 2018
Helping the Hurting
Note: This story’s subject matter may not be suitable for young children.
“Mia, mail call!” Liam shouted as he ran through the house with a large envelope. “You have a letter from Sophia.”
Mia grabbed the envelope from Liam and eagerly opened the letter from her pen pal, who lived in another state. Her smile quickly faded as she read it, and before long she had tears streaming down her face.
Liam saw her. “Mom! Dad!” he called. “Mia’s crying over the letter Sophia sent her.”
Mom and Dad came in. “Mia, what is it?” Mom asked.
Dad noticed Mia hesitate and spoke up. “Mia, if it’s something that could hurt you or Sophia, you need to tell us.”
Mia broke down into sobs and couldn’t talk for a while, but finally she told them. “Sophia’s parents are hurting her. She tried to tell someone she needed help, but her parents found out and hurt her even more, and then they took her phone away. She’s afraid to tell anyone at her school, so she decided to write to me and ask for help.”
Dad and Mom grew serious. They hugged Mia until her sobs quieted down. “Mia, we need to see the letter so we can help Sophia.”
Mia nodded and handed over the letter. It was smudged with tear stains.
The next few days were hard as Mia’s parents worked to find Sophia help, but soon she was removed from her parents’ home and taken to safety. Even though Sophia was safe, Mia knew she faced a long and difficult road to healing.
Mia and Liam sat down to talk about it with their parents. “I’m really sad this happened to Sophia, but I’m glad we were able to help her,” Mia said.
“Yes,” said Mom. “Jesus cares for her deeply, and He used you to bring her help. There are many hurting people in this world, and Jesus uses us to help them. When we do that, we point them toward the healing they can have through Him. Because you care about Sophia and were willing to help her, you’ve brought God’s hope and healing into her life.” – Myrical Barton
How about you?
Do you help those who are hurting? Our world is broken with sin, and there are hurting people all around us. It can often be difficult and uncomfortable to help them, but as Christians, Jesus uses us to help people and point them to the hope and healing that only come through Him. We are His hands and feet in the world. How can you help someone who is hurting? If someone is hurting you or a friend, tell a trusted adult right away.
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