INTIMACY,
BASIS OF

THERE was a fire in a building and the building was burning profusely. A little boy was too high up and would soon be engulfed. However, there was an external pipe that one of the firemen used to climb up in an attempt to rescue the boy. The pipe was blistering hot. Even though he had gloves on, his gloves were smoking. Despite the extreme heat, the fireman got to the boy and then climbed back down that same pipe. When they got to the ground, the fireman immediately removed his gloves and rinsed his hands in water to relieve the pain that he was experiencing from climbing up and down on that pole that was so hot.

The boy had been brought to safety but he sadly lost his parents in the fire. Some months later, he came up for adoption. There was a professor who came into the courtroom and said, “I can make this boy a genius. I want to adopt him.”

There was an engineer who said, “I want that kid, I want to adopt him.”

Then there was a third man who came in. The boy looked at him, and said, “Your honor, can he have me?”

The judged asked, “Why?”

“Because I see his hands and I know who he is.”

It’s nice to have an engineer, it’s nice to have an educator, it’s nice to have a doctor, but when somebody loves you enough to burn their hands, when they love you enough to share your pain, when they love you enough to hurt when you hurt, ache when you ache, and be there when life is falling apart, when they can show you their hands, and you know they paid the price, then they ought to have the privilege of the relationship. If you want to know who loves you, look at the hands. Jesus Christ has paid the price, and He alone deserves the relationship.497

[Cross; Jesus, Relationship with]

Isa. 53:5; John 20:24–28