The Princess and the Pea
"If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing." 1 Corinthians 12:26 The Message
Summertime in Texas is twenty degrees past "hot." Running errands becomes an adventure into "sauna land" as temperatures inside motor vehicles reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. In preparation for my upcoming return to Tanzania I had to venture outside into the HEAT. What I thought would take less than an hour, ended up taking four hours of back and forth driving to the bank, to the Western Union office, back to the bank and then back again!
I was hot, I was irritated, I was disagreeable, AND I was hot! Sweat was dripping from my brow as I fought the blowing vents in an effort to redirect them. Then I remembered who I am and where I am going. While my reality was a heated afternoon of discomfort, I was driving a car. The miscommunication did add to the length of the time I was outside of my central air-conditioned sanctuary, but it was still a minor glitch rectified by the close of the business day.
I remembered the women and lay leadership of Tanzania I would be visiting in two weeks. I remembered they (over 300) would be traveling by bus, through the night over dangerous roadways, to attend a four day conference on Child Evangelism and training. I remembered the hardships I knew many had endured in years past: WALKING for four hours (each way) to attend the seminar, even waking up at 4:00 AM to prepare meals for the family before setting out on their journey. Last year I was with the Believers in Zanzibar and heard of the persecution and threats, loss of job and job opportunities because they are Christians. And I am irritated by the speed it takes my 1997 CAR to cool down?
In his letter to the Church in Corinth, the apostle Paul explains the meaning of being a "part" of the "Body" of Christ. The teaching gives greater awareness of community and our place and responsibility to ALL who call upon the Name above all Names.
I remembered my brothers and sisters in Africa; the issues and struggles of their daily life make my temporary discomforts pale by comparison. When they are suffering - I am suffering as well. Where they have a lack, I experience a deficit spiritually. My part in the body, is to do MY part in assisting to meet the needs; whether it means supplying them with Bibles or sharing skills to advance the Kingdom. When they are elevated - we (here in the western Church) are elevated.
I wasn't clear on the plot of the classic children's fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea." I just recalled the complaining, and in the Texas heat as I was doing my share of complaining, it brought the tale to mind. But after "Googling Up" on the story, I discovered a greater revelation than the irritation I remembered.
The Prince desired to marry a "real" princess. Many in the surrounding kingdoms claimed the title of princess, but how was he to be sure of their genuine nature? On a stormy night one claiming to be a princess sought shelter in the castle. The Queen devised a plan. She would plant a pea under a stack of mattresses, for only a REAL princess would be sensitive enough to detect its presence.
The next morning when asked how she had rested, the "real" princess confessed, in spite of the comforts of twenty soft mattresses she still was unable to sleep, something was discomforting. She passed the test revealing her true nature because of her heightened sensitivity!
Isn't that what Paul was telling the Corinthians? Be sensitive to those who suffer? Our level of sensitivity and compassion reveals our "royal" nature to those we encounter. As a child of the King of Kings, when I'm uncomfortable with MY circumstances, it should drive me to a place of gratefulness for the provision I am afforded and compassion for the multitudes who have far less resources to effect their conditions.
The upcoming return of Sunshine After Rain Ministries to Africa presents you with an opportunity to exhibit your "royal" nature and share the responsibility as the Body of Christ.
Your financial support of the ministry will equip over three hundred pastors, Sunday school teachers and lay leaders to effectively share the gospel and the Good News with thousands of children in the towns and villages they represent.
Your prayers are covering the fulfillment of the Great Commission of our King to "Go and make disciples of all nations... to the ends of the earth!
"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Hebrews 13:16
Smiling as a true Princess
In the King's Service,
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