STANDING IN THE GAP

With 100 chocolate chip cookies wrapped up with clear cellophane baggies on a large tray, including an envelope of gift cards donated by our home group and church ( thank you C.C.V) Kev and I wandered around the PHX airport looking for the place called “ Compassion Board”. As we entered into the office we were touched by all the donations, staff, and a few of the TSA agents who came in. We put down our gifts and talked with those who were helping with the drive. The stories. A single mom who had seven children came in every morning before her shift to get enough gift cards, food, supplies to help her for that one day. A TSA agent who was there took some of the cookies, smiled and thanked us, but walked away with burdens too heavy to carry. She had just gone to get a loan to help pay her bills. Another agent who had to work two more jobs AFTER his shift, hoping he wasn't going to lose his home. And the ones who had to call off? They were working whatever jobs they could get just to make ends meet.. No matter what your political position is on this matter, these were the people caught in the gap, paying the ultimate price. We were the last ones to donate before it was announced that they were going to be paid. As we were leaving God put it on my heart again WHY He had us go down to the airport. It was Jesus who called us to carry each others burdens, that no one would walk their journey alone. The world we live in now needs us, more than ever, to stand in the gap for one another, to listen to broken and worried hearts, to give in tangible ways to help meet their immediate needs, to pray when they can’t, to share the love of Jesus…to show compassion, and hope when they have lost their way. As Christians, we are the light of the world when darkness is all around us..to shine our light to the hope that can only come from Jesus. You may not be an TSA agent but your burdens are real and maybe too heavy to carry alone. Jesus bridged that gap between God and us, when he died on the cross for our sins. With Easter just a week away we can say with certainty that our HOPE is real and one day we will be in our eternal home…where there will be no more sorrow, tears, pain, death….just JOY, JOY, JOY! Until then, let us carry each other burdens, standing in the gap from hopelessness to eternal peace in Jesus.