News of a
simple act of kindness on a New York subway has gone around the world. A young
man, head covered by a hooded sweatshirt, fell asleep on the shoulder of an
older passenger. When someone else offered to wake the young rider, the older
man quietly said, “He must have had a long day. Let him sleep. We’ve all been
there.” Then he let the tired fellow rider sleep on his shoulder for the better
part of the next hour, until the older man gently eased away to get up for his
stop. In the meantime, another passenger snapped a photograph and posted it on
social media, and it went viral.
The man’s
kindness seems to resonate with what we all long for—the kindness that reflects
the heart of God. We see this gentleness in Jesus when His friends tried to
protect Him from the noise and bother of little children. Instead, Jesus
insisted on taking the little ones in His arms and blessing them (Mark 10:16).
In the process, He invited all of us to trust Him like a little child
(vv.13-16).
Jesus lets us
know that all of us are safe in His presence. Whether awake or asleep, we can
lean on Him. When we’re exhausted, He provides a safe place for us to rest.