why we won't help
Another day, another life changing situation. One life lost. Another having taken life. So much hurt and pain. Bombs. Stabbings. Shootings. Unarmed black men shot. And we all know there's something wrong. Something broken. I'm not sure whether or not these current times are really worse than any other time in history. Surely there is nothing new under the sun. There maybe new technologies, new methods, but all that's wrong with the world, the motives, the nature behind all of the evil of these days is nothing new. Certainly we hear about it more. We are inundated with stories that make our stomachs churn.
WHAT DO WE DO????
The other night, I was, as I usually am, running late to get the kids to church for their Wednesday evening activities. We actually weren't that late, but we didn't have time to spare, what with the shoe searches and the quick dinner. As we came up to the highway, I could see a truck stopped on the off ramp. Something seemed off. The driver, a man probably around my own age, was outside of the car. He was white, but other than that, the situation probably wasn't all that different than the one Terrence Crutcher found himself in on Friday. I started to pull onto the highway, away from him, but something made me stop. If it was me or my 6'5" husband, I'd want someone to stop. In fact, there have been times when people have stopped.
I rolled down my window and called back to see if he was OK. Out of gas. Well, I've been there done that. And since we only live a couple minutes away, I drove back home and grabbed one of our gas cans and brought it back to him.
We've all grown up learning about stranger danger. We teach our kids about tricky people. We live guarded lives, trying to stay safe. But maybe we've gone too far. Maybe we should be willing to put our lives on the line to help someone. Maybe we should be cautious, but maybe we should take risks too.
We won't though. And here's why. Being kind, being a good person is all well and good. But I'm not willing to die for it. There will be other opportunities to be kind. I can be a good person on another day.
There's got to be more at stake. I'd give my life for one of my kids in a heartbeat, because there's more at stake for me.
We need to see people, realize the value in them.
More than that, we need to see our opportunities to show kindness to others as more than that. When stopping to help someone becomes a matter of glorifying God, of sharing Him with someone else, well, that's a different story. As a Christ follower, the life of every person I see is on the line. Do they know the One that created them, that loves them, that wants them to spend eternity in His presence? Am I willing to give more than a can of gas? Will I share the gospel? Maybe I'm not willing to die for a can of gas or for the chance to show kindness, but the gospel? Now that's worth it!
I can't help but wonder what would have happened if someone had stopped to help Terrence Crutcher on Friday. Maybe the police would have found a couple of people, trying to get a car started or trying to push it to the side of the road. Maybe they would have found a small group of people gathered in prayer, right there on the side of the road.
We have got to do better and it doesn't start with outrage or a protest. It has to start with us. Right where we are. Because
“For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.”
We have to start living like it.
