There was once a little girl named Patty. She was playing in her driveway when she fell and skinned her knee. Running inside with tears as big as grapes, she wailed as blood oozed down her left leg. Her mother, Annie, took her and held her until the rivulets turned to streaks on her rosy cheeks.
The mother looked at the bruised-up knee. There was a deep gash about an inch long. It was on the kneecap, and the blood was dark and thick. Patty studied her mom looking for any signs of concern. Annie aware of fearful big brown eyes watching her every move, remained calm.
“Okay,” she said, settling her daughter on the kitchen chair. “I’m going to get some cotton balls, hydrogen peroxide, ointment, and band-aids.”
Patty was scared and began to fidget. “Will it hurt?”
“A little, with some burning,” Annie consoled. “But, all of these things will help heal your cut.”
The mom cleaned the wound and placed a band-aid on it. “Now,” she said, “we don’t remove the band-aid, okay? It has to be covered to prevent infection.”
Patty’s eyes bulged. “What do you mean? We’re never going to remove the band-aid?”
Her mother smiled. “No, honey, I didn’t say that. We’re going to have to change it often, especially when we take baths, and we will clean it and put a brand new band-aid each time.”
The child bent her knee to inspect the bandage. “How long will that take, Mommy?”
Annie patted her daughter’s head, “Until your cut skin is attached together and no more blood is seeping out. We want to keep your blood inside your body, not outside on your skin!”
Patty giggled.
A couple of days passed and both mom and daughter kept with the cleaning and band-aid regime. Annie even bought colorful band-aids with cartoon characters on them to help little Patty understand not to remove the bandage.
A few more days passed and as the mom inspected the wound, she found that the skin was indeed joined together. No more gash! Happily, she explained to Patty, “Okay, we can now take off the band-aid.”
Patty, taken aback by this new change folded her arms. “I like the band-aids. I want to keep putting it on.”
Annie shook her head. “You don’t need it anymore. See,” she pointed at her daughter’s kneecap. “The cut is closed up. There is no blood anymore. There is no more need for a band-aid.”
Little Patty was alarmed. “What if it breaks open?”
Her mom grinned. “Your skin won’t ‘break open’. You’ll be okay.”
But, Patty wouldn’t have it. “No, I want it on!” The truth was she’d grown fond of the band-aids—liked the security of having one on, just in case. Frankly, she was frightened of having to remove the bandage altogether because it was a comfort to see it on her knee every day.
Annie sensing the rebellion and uncertainty in her daughter’s voice took a deep breath and said, “Honey, you’re going to have it let it breathe. It’s part of the healing process for any cuts and bruises. You can do it, I know you’re brave. Look how good you were to help yourself in healing your knee.”
Patty gazed at her mother. What would she do?
The moral of the story:
Where does your security lie?
Humans are creatures of habit. We cling to things: clothes, books, jewelry, and material items that give the illusion of protection, even holding onto hurtful memories of long ago. And, there’s nothing wrong with that, but there comes a time when those possessions and experiences need to be let go. The shedding of the old needs to begin and we need to breathe!
1 Corinthians 13:11 – When I was a child I spoke like a child. I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.
2 Timothy 1: 7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of sound mind.