When Ironman 70.3 Augusta was canceled due to Hurricane Helene, the organization allowed the athletes to transfer their bibs to Ironman Chattanooga, as long as they could make it to athlete check-in on time without any extra charge. You need to understand that they are transferring from a half distance to a full distance, which is no easy feat for anyone. A handful of professional athletes and age groupers took up the offer, and one of them was Tim.
I got to know Tim the day after the race through our mutual friend, Michael. We connected through text messages right away and congratulated each other. Since I didn’t want to drive back home all the way in one day, I was going to sleep over at Michael’s. My bike chain was all rusty from racing in the rain for 6 hours, and I wouldn’t have time to wash my bike at home as I had to fly out to Korea immediately. So, my plan was to wash my bike at Michael’s. I messaged Tim to ask if he had a chain lube and told him my intentions. I would borrow it from him, but he had a better plan. Tim told me that he had a bike repair stand and invited me to stop by his place on the way and wash our bikes together! Mind you, we had never met before, but he was willing to invite me to his place and help me out! He showed his Christlike hospitality and kindness to me in the way Abraham did for the three men (Genesis 18:1-8), and I was extremely grateful for his offer. I went over and had a great time chatting while washing the bikes.
I want to do the same for others as Tim did for me. Jesus reminds us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). This is the summary of the commandments that God gave us and immediately after this, Luke writes about the story of the good Samaritan. This was a story that defined who our neighbor is. Matthew also writes that when we serve others, we serve Jesus (Matthew 25:40). I pray that we as a church family find joy in helping one another, especially as we are in the month of Thanksgiving.
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