Shipping companies generally take great care to deliver packages intact. To keep the contents from being broken or impaired the containers are often stamped, Fragile-Handle With Care. If you ever received a package which was not handled with care, and its contents were broken or damaged, you were probably upset.
How often we fret over a broken item simply because it was not treated with the care and caution its fragile nature required. We would do well to think less about fragile packages and more about fragile people. Many relationships have been broken because they were not handled with care. Friendships have faded, marriages ended, and churches split because people failed to see the precious nature of the package they possessed.
The Bible addresses this topic in the following words: “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure…” (I Corinthians 4:7 NLT). Now the great treasure is Christ himself. Believers have the assurance of the indwelling of Christ through the Holy Spirit. That in itself gives us a motive for treating one another with tender respect and care.
Recognizing our flawed and fragile nature prompted the Apostle Paul to write clear directions on how to handle our relationships with care. “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive any one who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14 NLT).
Take a moment to reflect on your relationships. Don’t forget that they are fragile. Determine to handle them with care. Follow God’s instructions and they will stay safe and unbroken.
—Terry Morrison