“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.”
Matthew 10:24-25
It was a twenty-hour flight that took us from Thailand to Ethiopia. It may have been the longest, most painful flight on which I’d ever been. Unable to get up and walk down the aisle, I could only shift my position once in awhile in the airplane seat. It didn’t help. My corset was digging into me, and it felt as though knives were stabbing my back. Ken tried to help and so did my other two traveling companions. But they could only do so much. Besides, they needed their sleep too.
Knowing there was nothing else to do, I decided not to fight the pain. I breathed slowly and deeply and tried to surrender every tense muscle in my neck and shoulders. Others may not be able to help, but you’re here, Jesus. You’re not asleep. Thank you for staying up with me. Jesus completely understood; He, too, once suffered. When I relaxed into that powerful and beautiful truth, an indescribable blanket of peace settled over me. I knew I had entered another level deeper into the “fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). I could endure. I would be able to make it. All because Jesus made His presence on that plane as near as seat 3B next to me. The next thing I knew, the sun was up and we had arrived.
Jesus did not exempt Himself from affliction but lived through it and learned from it. He thus became the source of help for all those who obey Him. Should we suffer? A servant is never above his master. What a privilege it is to be like our teacher… even in affliction.
Man of Sorrows, I find complete comfort in You despite my own grief, loss and pain. I will not resist hardship today, for I am not above You, my Master.
