Carrying Each Other’s Luggage - June 10
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 69:1-23 (24-30) 31-38; PM Psalm 73; Eccles. 11:9-12:14; Gal. 5:25-6:10; Matt. 16:21-28
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. … So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. Galatians 6: 2, 9-10
As I write this reflection for Friday, it is Tuesday morning. I am in Florida, sitting on the sun porch at my parents’ house, looking out at the green grass, brilliant blue sky, palm trees, and geese swimming placidly across a small pond. It’s a peaceful spot, but it’s not where I expected to be today. I was supposed to be fresh off the plane in London, settling in to my accommodations and adjusting to the time difference. I thought my view at this time today would be of a park and neighborhood scenes in Islington, perhaps enjoying a run or walk in the much more refreshing June weather there.
But Florida weather being what it is in June, many flights set to depart on Monday afternoon were delayed due to lightning in the Orlando area and thunderstorms on the route between there and Boston, where I was to connect to my transatlantic flight. About 10 hours of my Monday were spent driving to Orlando International, checking in, awaiting boarding, sitting a long while on the tarmac hoping we’d be cleared for takeoff, exiting the plane and spending a long time on the phone with someone rebooking me on a new flight on Tuesday, getting back to the offsite parking lot, rescheduling my parking privileges there, and finally making my way back to stay another night at my parents’ house, over an hour’s drive away, and pondering if I will be reunited with my checked bag that has made it to Heathrow well ahead of me. Fun times.
While Monday did feel like a colossal waste of a day on many levels, I do feel like there were some redeeming moments and interactions in the day. The pleasant wait staff in the wine bar where I had a late lunch before all the complications began to unfold. The calm presence of the flight crew who managed to keep a plane full of passengers trapped on the tarmac in an overall peaceful state of coexistence. The understanding words and reassuring looks of fellow travelers who, like me, now needed to rearrange their international travel plans. The helpful, patient person on the phone who booked me onto a new and better nonstop flight for the next day. And especially the lovely assistant manager at the offsite parking facility who went above and beyond to not only rebook my parking reservation for different dates, but did so with such a friendly and warm spirit that, though it was approaching my bedtime, I could remain hopeful and happy about my time abroad—not to mention about my fellow human beings.
Each of these interactions with my fellow human beings illustrates well what we read in Paul’s letter to the Galatians today—that we are to “bear one another’s burdens” and “whenever we have the opportunity… work for the good of all.” Each kindness that we can share, be it in word or deed, can make all the difference in someone’s day, and maybe even the trajectory of their whole life, in ways beyond what we may ever fully know.
Becky+
Questions for Reflection
When have you experienced someone carrying a burden for you? When have you had the chance to carry a burden for someone else? What moments stand out in your memory as ones in which you felt your faith in God strengthened by how you were treated by your fellow human beings?
Daily Challenge