The package was delivered.

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The first thing I noticed was the warning: Fragile.

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Some packages may not give a warning that it is fragile.

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Instead, they may give these instructions: Handle With Care.

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Either way, we know that what is in the package may be damaged or broken if we do not handle it with care.

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For me, the warning worked. I picked that package up, carried it carefully into my house, and placed it gently on the table. As I opened it, I had to go through styrofoam packaging to get to it, so apparently the sender and the postal workers had been careful, too. It was not broken or damaged.

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Do we pay attention when we see that an item is fragile or needs to be handled with care?

 

At my house, I often hear or say something like this, “Be careful! That will get broken!” Or perhaps I should say, “Handle with care! That’s fragile!”

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But how about us? Not packages — but people.

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We do not have a sign on us that warns: I am fragile.

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Nor do we have a sign on us that instructs: Handle With care.

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But sometimes, it would almost be appropriate.

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If we will pay attention to those around us, we may know, anyway.

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We may see it in their actions.

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We may see it in their movements.

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We may see it on their face.

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We may see it in their eyes.

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We may hear it in their voices.

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They are in a stage of their lives where they may feel damaged or broken.

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They are crying out: I am fragile. Please handle with care.

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Perhaps they lost a loved one. They are still grieving greatly, although we wrongly assume they have begun to move forward.

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Perhaps someone is dealing with a personal or private problem they do not often talk about to others.

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Perhaps it is a son, a daughter, a mother, a father, a grandparent, a neighbor, a friend, or even a pastor — all struggling with a heavy load that they do not feel will ever be lightened.

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Perhaps it is a prison inmate, a hospital patient, the employee working hard to make ends meet, the one close to bankruptcy, or those living in an unhappy home.

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Perhaps it is someone who is elderly, someone who is too busy, someone who lives alone, someone who needs encouragement, someone who is depressed, or someone who needs a friend.

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No, the words “I am fragile” and “handle with care” are not written on their T-shirts, but they are written on their hearts.

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You will know who they are —

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Reach out to one of them today.

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There’s a promise from God about doing that.

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Luke 6:28 says, “Give and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”