Story Time!
Back in October I had to take my car to the shop for some repairs. I was worried about getting around and was talking to my campus minister about this, and he let me know that he knew somebody who had just purchased a truck specifically for supplying the needs of those in ministry. I was able to borrow the truck for about a week and a half, and during that time I got to spend some time with a student from Turkey. This was the only time last semester that this student and I got together. Last week, this student reached out to me and asked if she could borrow my truck. A serious circumstance required that she move apartments ASAP. I was a little confused at first, because I don’t drive a truck, and her mattress surely wasn’t going to fit into my civic. She reminded me that the one time that we hung out, I picked her up in a truck. It was such a short time period of me driving it, that I had forgotten about it. I reached out to the owner of the truck and he was gracious to let me borrow it again to help this student move to her new apartment. In October, I remember feeling inconvenienced that my car was in the shop, and upset about the cost it took to fix it. Now, I am so grateful my car was falling apart because had I not been driving a truck around for a week, this student would have never thought to reach out to me for help. Praise God.  

On Sunday, I showed up to help this student move. I thought it would only be the two of us. When I arrived, one of her friends, also from Turkey, was there ready to help her move. Within 20 minutes two more of her friends showed up, eager to help. I mentioned to her that I was glad that there were 5 of us moving everything, and that her friends were kind to come help. Then she said, “I didn’t ask them to help. I mentioned that I was moving today and they just showed up. I didn’t know they were coming.” As we moved all of her things out of her old apartment and into her new one, driving back and forth between the two complexes, I was amazed by the generosity of her friends, and the way they shouldered her burden. Every time she tried to pick up something heavy, her friends would grab it from her, not letting her carry it. And as we hauled things out of the truck and up a flight of stairs, there was no complaining, only joy that we could be a part of helping move this friend from a hostile environment and into a safe one. 

This reminded me of a couple of things. First, Jesus came to earth, taking on the lowest form, in full humility, not to be served, but to serve. Jesus, our King, was a suffering servant. When our lives are hidden with Christ in God, we should not be surprised when we also experience suffering of various kinds. The second thing this reminded me of, is that the body of Christ does not suffer alone. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. When Jesus came into the world, lived the perfect life, and died a sacrificial death, He took the full weight of our sin and burden with Him to the cross. When I saw this student’s friends help her move, literally not letting her carry anything that was heavy, I could not help but be reminded of what Jesus did for us; bearing our sin and saying, “That is too heavy, let me carry it for you."