On the bus...

"Jesus said, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.'"
Matthew 11:28

Yesterday, I was on the bus headed downtown. The bus was quite full and I found a seat near a lady who was on a video call on her phone (for those of you familiar with the bus rules, she had earbuds in). She was chatting away most of the ride down, when quite suddenly, she burst into tears. She quickly pulled the I-want-off string and the minute the bus stopped and doors opened, she fled, still weeping. I watched her leave and my heart just hurt for her. What had happened in that seemingly OK call? Had someone broken her heart? Had a loved one shared bad news? I wanted to chase after her and comfort her. I had to settle for praying for her. That's not too much a "settle" though, but it seemed like it. I prayed that God would comfort her, that Jesus would give her rest--she was so obviously heavily burdened. We just don't know what is going on in the lives of the people we, either metaphorically or actually, ride the bus with. We just don't know. That's why we need to be kind to everyone. We don't know what news they may have just received that hurt them. Today, we are all passengers on this great bus of life. Let's hold each other carefully, in love, and ask God to especially bless all who are so heavily burdened. Love, heidi