Read
Matthew 27:30-32, Mark 15:20-22, Luke 23:26-27
There are some people mentioned in Scripture only once. We quite often think of these people as insignificant compared to the giants of Scripture like Moses, Elijah, or even Jesus. Yet these individuals who had small roles in God's plan are important to God's plan just like the ones who took on much larger roles.
Simon of Cyrene is a man that we don't know much about with a small role in the death of Jesus. Cyrene was a Greek city in Northern Africa. It had a Jewish community due to some Jews being forced to settle there in Ptolemy's reign. So, it is highly likely that Simon was one of those Jews who made the trip to Jerusalem for the Passover feast and was also witness to the death of Jesus.
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ makes it seem that Simon was caught in the crowd and was an unwilling participant in what was taking place. He didn't want the guilt of a condemned man transferred to him since he was being forced to carry a cross that wasn't his own. Yet, the Roman guards gave him no choice in the matter. And after seeing Jesus and the state He was in due to the brutal beating He had taken, Simon acted.
Take some time and answer the following questions:
Have you ever had a time in your life where you were "minding your own business" but then felt like God was compelling you to move to take action? Meditate on that experience (or lack therof) for a few minutes.
Do you believe God has a role for you in His Kingdom? If so, what is it?
Are you working towards fulfilling that role? If not, what changes do you need to make to do so?