"A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross."
When I first read this verse, a lot of emotions went through my head. First, I felt bad for Simon. He was just an innocent man passing by and he was 'forced' to carry the cross - probably pretty heavy to carry and I'm sure he didn't want to do it. Then, I was angry at Simon that he 'participated' in the crucifixion of Jesus! He helped the mob kill Jesus! Why did he do that. Maybe if he refused to help, Jesus might have a little longer to live...who knows. Then, I was humbled and encouraged...that God would choose an ordinary man, who happened to be passing by, to be part of his great plan to save the world. This guy, Simon was chosen by God to help fulfill Jesus' purpose in this world. I think often times, we get into situations we don't understand or circumstances that make us doubt ourselves, our faith or even God. But we forget that God is in control and sovereign over everything. He knows what He's doing. And if we're willing, we can be a small part of His great plan.
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