power of practical help

I was alone with Mohammed for about 15 minutes as we drove together in the cab of a truck. We were helping a friend move into a new apartment.  Quickly, Mohammed shared how over a year ago, while already living as a refugee in another country, he had returned to where his family was staying at the time only to find the place empty and everyone gone. While he was away, the authorities had come and deported his entire family out of the country, and now they were lost!

What would you do? I think I would search to the end of the world to find them! Mohammed (name changed) did and that’s why he’s now in Austria. But his family is not here; he has no idea where they are, and now he too is stuck between here and nowhere without a home and without his family. He’s the oldest son, and he misses them terribly and remembers them everyday.

In those brief moments driving through the city, Mohammed poured out his heart, “Why was I born in this world? Is it possible at all to live as a normal human being? Here people can relate normally to one another. They are civilized. Where I am from, you have to be a criminal simply to survive.”   Shades of despair and sadness shrouded every word.

It’s a story, that lots of refugees share, and these could just as easily be the words of someone else.  This unfortunately robs Mohammed’s story of all meaning and significance. He becomes one of millions  -and this is the problem.

So where do we begin? How can Mohammed begin to find his significance and meaning in this world?  That’s what I asked Mohammed as well. “What do you with so much sadness and hopelessness?”  “I try to forget my past. I try to start over anew.” Mohammed knew I was a Christian, and he quickly added how his new-found faith in Christ has given him comfort. “When I trusted Jesus, I knew that my family and my life were in his hands, and for the first time, I was not worried.”

Wow. Those 15 minutes with Mohammed made my day. It’s what I live for. I believe moments like this in the cab of a truck while helping a mutual friend are one small step towards significance.

On one level, I could talk about all the highs and lows of Mohammed’s new faith and how this is helping him or not, but I would really like to keep it personal and simple.  I recently have been challenged with the thought that living life is what matters, and this happens from person to person and moment by moment.

That 15 minute ride put meaning into both my life and Mohammed’s. We  experienced the power of living and sharing a few moments together. For sure there is the significance of our Christian faith that originates outside of ourselves. But, without these human moments all of my beliefs and practices will surely fade away -and this is the problem too.

So how am I doing person to person? How am I doing in the here and now?