Yesterday on my run, a couple of ladies close to my age were
running ahead of me. One of them was pushing her child in a jogging stroller.
If you have ever tried to run while pushing one of those things, with a small
child in it no less, you know it is NOT easy. They are heavy. The friends ran like that for
a while, and I was thinking how easy my run seemed in comparison, when I saw
the mom’s friend take over the stroller and begin pushing it herself.
That small act struck me as so beautiful. Because she took
on her friend’s load, they were both able to keep running. I couldn’t help but think about my Christian
faith, and how we are called to bear one another’s burdens.
I will be honest, generosity and self-sacrifice are not my
strengths. And it’s not like I haven’t had plenty of examples in my life. My
father was definitely a generous man; after he died, we heard countless stories
of how he had given people medicine when they couldn’t afford it, or paid for a
youth to go on a church trip, or let a debt someone owed him slide. I did not
inherit this trait from him. Most of the time when I have extra money, I want to spend it on myself.
Then there’s my husband, who is much better at this than me.
He always says, “Dónde comen dos, comen tres,” or, “Where two eat, three can
eat.” If we have enough, then we have enough to share. I keep hoping some of
that attitude will rub off on me…
I have even experienced others’ generosity myself. More than
once, we have been in need and others have stepped in to help us. When we
needed a new air conditioner, when our car died, when I had heart trouble, and
when I had my babies, people came to our aide with money, meals, and more.
And let’s not forget the all-important example of Sam. Where
would Frodo have gotten without him?
I know that God is calling me to learn from them. Well,
maybe not Frodo, but at least my father and husband. Many times when I see a
need, I justify not getting involved, or I hesitate because it’s not
convenient. But love requires sacrifice; it won’t always be easy. Just look at
Christ’s love for us. My prayer is that instead of seeing what I don’t have, or justifying my way out of serving others, I will learn to
be grateful for what I have and see ways in which I can love those around me. I
pray that I will have the courage and love to push the stroller for my friends
when they can’t push anymore.
“We know what real
love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our
lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well
and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion-how can God’s love
be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other;
let us show the truth by our actions.” – 1 John 3:16-18
