“For the body, itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts” (1 Corinthians 12:14).
The floods that recently devastated Eastern Kentucky substantiated a familiar adage. Nothing is more powerful than the love of a mother—except when a mother’s love is combined with a few feet of electrical cord.
As the floodwaters rose around her manufactured home situated near Bowling Creek, the floor gave way and water poured in. Jessica Willett quickly cut off a piece of electrical cord from a vacuum cleaner and tied her two children to her body. By being tethered together, Jessica’s attempt was to prevent either child from being swept downstream. Indeed, the strength of their bond was successful in staving off certain death.
Mountain climbers use ropes for reasons of safety. A rope team is a group of mountaineers who link themselves to one another. The bond between climbers keeps individuals from falling.
As individual Christians, the Apostle Paul was convinced that the church community is stronger together than separately. Mother Theresa once characterized Paul’s metaphor of the church body by saying, “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” Teamwork is the key not only to our survival but to our pursuit of excellence.
Sadly, the Hollywood producers of reality shows such as Big Brother and Survivor skew America’s perception of hyper-individualism. Contestants are pitted against one another to determine who will be the last person standing. To the winners go all the spoils.
Yet Jessica Willett proved to our country otherwise. We are strongest when we are one. Our livelihoods, not to mention our lives, depend upon our common bond.
However, to the families of those who did not survive the horrific floods, our hearts and our prayers go with you. If any of you reading this devotion wish to assist in the recovery efforts ongoing in Eastern Kentucky, please make your contributions to the emergency response fund called UMCOR through St. Paul Community UMC. 100 percent of your donations will be directed to help those in need. Thank you.