Somebody Help

Psalm 119:33-40

I did something today I wish I didn't do, but am glad I did - I went to work. I say this because I was beginning to feel under the weather again, perhaps getting a relapse from last week's bout with the flu. The first few hours at work were rough; sneezing, coughing, sniffles, cold sweats. The last 90 minutes, however, made it all worthwhile.

I was asked to supervise one of our students while she performed her detention. In our class students are given detention if they're tardy, whether it's just after the bell rings or 45 minutes. If they are tardy the student will be asked to stay back and help clean the room for 10 minutes. This particular student had 3 tardies to work off, which translated to 30 minutes of room cleaning.

As she wiped the dust and pencil marks off tables, I followed her around, picking up little things here and there. She began to talk about things, mostly school-related. Then she dropped a bomb: she was moving to Samoa in 4 days. Nobody knew about this, nobody had an idea this was going to happen.

She told me the reason was so that she would be able to graduate high school on time with the current amount of credits she would be getting. A part of that felt true, but I think there was something more to it. I took her at her word, not prying, choosing instead to listen as she told me about how she would miss her friends, and her family. Apparently her family wasn't moving with her and she would be living with an aunt.

She was trying to hide the pain she was going through, but I could tell she was hurting. She didn't say it, but I felt as though she thought she was being abandoned. Her words and actions were those I've seen many times before from young people in the same situations.

Before we knew it her 30 minutes became an hour and she said she needed to go to an after school tutoring class. As she walked down the hall I waved bye and she waved back with a smile as genuine as she could make it.

I tell this story because of yesterday's passage about keeping God's law of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and how it relates to today's Psalm about keeping God's laws and living them wholeheartedly. There are moments in my life when I get to be with someone, and I treasure those moments dearly. I didn't ask questions, I didn't pass judgment, I didn't say much; I was just there.

It's in those moments I feel as though God's promise of a life of peace and joy through love is alive and being realized. It's in those moments I am happy to be a part of the body of Christ as I share the message, albeit unspoken, that love is there for everyone, regardless of who or what you are.