READ: ROMANS 12:15; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-14, 25-27; GALATIANS 6:2

Have you ever had a really bad ear infection? For such a small part of the body, the ear really makes a big difference! If your ear is infected, your entire body feels bad. In addition to your ear hurting, you might have trouble sleeping—not to mention hearing—and you could also experience headaches, difficulty balancing, or a loss of appetite.

Thinking about ear infections can actually help us understand a truth we see in the Bible. As Christians, we are all part of the body of Christ. We need each other, and, like different body parts have different functions, we are each equipped with different spiritual gifts so that we can build one another up and share the good news about Jesus.

As people bound together by Jesus’s love for us, we make up a single body. When one member has something to rejoice about, we get to rejoice with them! And when one part of the body of Christ is hurting, we have the opportunity and privilege to grieve with them.

Now think back to ear infections. When you have one, your whole body suffers, and you do whatever you can to make your ear feel better, right? It’s similar in the church. When someone who is part of the body of Christ is hurting, we do what we can to help that person feel better too. This is one of the ways we share each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). As we care for one another’s physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational needs, we remember that our Savior is present with us through His Holy Spirit. And even when the hurts are slow to heal, we get to be present with one another and rest together in the love of Jesus. • A. W. Smith

•How could you ease someone’s burden today?

• When you are burdened, who are trusted Christians you can reach out to?

• How does caring for one another help us share the good news about Jesus—that God became human, dwelled among us, died for our sins, rose from the grave to beat death, and is returning one day to make all things new, free from sin and its effects? (You can read more about the good news on our “Know Jesus” page.)

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15 (NIV)