Author Robert Coleman tells the story about a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease that he had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same blood type the boy was the ideal donor.
The doctor asked, "Would you give your blood to your sister?" The little boy hesitated. His lower lip began to tremble. Then, suddenly, he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister."
Quickly the two children were wheeled into the hospital room. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, the little boy's smile faded. He watched his blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, the boy's voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. He asked, "Doctor, when do I die?"
Only then did the doctor realize why the little boy hesitated, why his lip trembled, before he agreed to give his blood to his sister. He thought that in doing so he would be giving up his own life. But because of his love for his sister, he was willing to make such a sacrifice.
It's no wonder that the apostle Paul could write, "But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13b)
