A little help here, Simon

            Have you ever wondered why Simon was pulled from the crowd and told to carry the cross of Christ?  Well I'm not really sure.  Maybe he was strong.  Maybe he had a look of compassion on his face that told the Roman soldiers he would be willing to help.  Or maybe, just maybe (well of course, definitely) it was a divinely orchestrated event.  One that teaches us a wonderful truth about the Father's compassion, mercy and determination.

            God will always provide a way for us to have help.  When we feel weak and unable to go on, He can provide someone to help us carry our cross.  Just as the Father had Simon called from the crowd to help His Son, He will call someone from the crowd, maybe someone we've never met, to help us.  And we need not be ashamed. Christ's sacrifice on Calvary was not tarnished by the fact that He hadn't actually carried the cross the entire way Himself.  And neither will ours be.  Our lives in Christ are a relationship, a journey.  They are a process of growth.   He knows we are not perfect.  Sometimes He lets us see that.  Sometimes we will reach a point of exhaustion.  And it is then that He will provide for the burden to be lightened so we can continue to walk.  And that leads into the second point...

            God will complete His plan, no matter what.  By bailing out or quitting you do not avoid what awaits you at the end of you journey.  Jesus still had to walk to Calvary.  He still had to die on the cross.  Simon didn't take His place there.  He couldn't.  And the same holds true for us.  Though we can have rest.  Though others may help us bear our burdens.  Though we know that with Him we never have to walk alone, we still have to walk.  We still have to go through what the Father wills for us.  He is determined to finish the work He has started in our lives.  And He will do whatever it takes.  Thank God, of course.

            In our weakness His strength is made perfect.

SDG