The Mime

Bible Reading: Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3:16-19

After Baker and his mom got off the Ferris wheel, they joined a group of people crowding around a man with a painted face acting out various skits. Baker laughed with the crowd as the man pretended to be learning to ride a bike. But he wondered why the man didn't say anything. "Mom, why doesn't he talk?"

"Because he's a mime," Mom replied. "They never talk, but you can tell by their actions what they're doing."

Next, the mime pretended to wash a window. He acted as though he bumped his head on the pretend ladder. Later, he appeared to be eating an ice cream cone--and shot the crowd a look of dismay when the ice cream fell off. The crowd laughed and applauded as he acted out one scenario after another. The show ended with the mime making a sad face and waving goodbye to the crowd.

Baker turned to his mom. "Wow! He never said a thing, but I could figure out everything he was doing."

"Actions say a lot," said Mom. "Do you remember the story in the Bible about the Good Samaritan?"

"Sure," said Baker. "It's a story Jesus told about a man who needed help on the side of the road. Two people went by without helping him, and then a Samaritan came along and did all he could to help him."

"Right," said Mom. "And if the two people who had passed by earlier had said they cared about that man, would you have believed them?" Baker shook his head. "Jesus told that story to show how we should love others," Mom continued. "Saying you care about someone isn't enough--you also need to show them you care through your actions."

Baker's eyes widened. "So the Good Samaritan was really a mime?"

Mom laughed. "Well, I'm sure he didn't paint his face and perform funny skits, but he did communicate his love for others through his actions. Jesus did that too by taking the punishment for our sins on the cross so we could be saved. His sacrifice showed that His words of love for us were true. Let's let others know we care about them through both our words and our actions."

–Annette S. Bury

How About You?
How do you let others know you care about them? It's good to tell people you care, but it's not enough. In Jesus's parable, the Good Samaritan showed how much he cared by going to great lengths to help the injured man. Now that's loud love! That's the kind of love Jesus showed us when He died for our sins. What can you do to turn up the volume and show others you care?

Today's Key Verse:
Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV) (1 John 3:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Actions speak loudly