On Compassion...

Ok, I swear God's been trying to get me to be more compassionate...I've got two examples just from today. Sure, they seem like little incidents, but there was just something that I felt that I knew wasn't normal. Like...a literal weight on my heart. Call it odd, but its what I felt.

First! I ran to Lowes to get some Fix-a-Flat (amazing stuff. I'd advise keeping two cans in your car at allll times) there's a stoplight to get onto the main road, then there's a stoplight for another road. I'm sitting there at the second light, the light turns green, the lane next to me starts moving. I'm sitting there. The car in front of me is sitting there. I'm like, "Uuuhh..." and eventually (after like a minute, at least....its a long light) pull out into the other lane, throw it into first, and blast through the intersection under a yellow arrow. I see this guy in the other lane, sitting in this little white car with his blinkers on, obviously unable to move. I imagine its his engine, because tires don't usually give out when you're sitting still. This is when I started thinking...I could have run up and helped push the car...I'm probably stronger than anyone else in the lane at the time, and I've got absolutely nothing to do today, so I don't need to be anywhere. Instead, I sped by...

So I'm driving down the road with that on my mind when I see the remains of a tire in the middle of the road. I'm like, "Oh, I bet some trucker lost that...I bet he didn't even know. Pah. Stupid truckers..." and at that very moment, I look over and see a middle aged woman getting out of a medium sized pickup with a kid in the passenger seat. I'm like, "Geez...I'm such a jerk..." and as I drive down the road, I'm literally weaving across the road, trying to decide whether or not to go back. My mom had a blowout a couple months back, and I know how stressful it was for her...and I know she was lucky to have me at home to come pick her up and change the tire. Mom didn't know how to change the tire...that's just something dad or I did. What about this lady? Did she have someone at home? Surely I could have gone back and seen if she needed any help...I could have put the spare on...inflated it if need be...given her a ride home...but I didn't. It's bugged me all day.

Sure, there are people with car problems all over the place, but do they have people to help them? Are we cowards enough to leave the mom and kid stranded on the highway when we've got the time and ability to help them? That's the part that gets me. I had no reason not to stop. My evening was such that I could have driven to NC and back if I needed to. I had no requirements...I had the equipment in my car to fix a flat tire, to change a tire, and to jack a car up. I had a toolkit, I had a box with misc car parts...heck, I had work gloves if I seriously didn't want to get dirty! I had over 100$ in my wallet that I could have given her to get a towtruck if she had to...but...why didn't I!? I gave up both a ministry opportunity and a service opportunity because...because...WHY!?

Maybe I'll stop next time...maybe you'll stop next time...

Why am I writing this at 1:30 at night? Yes, I can't sleep...I can't get it off my mind.

J~S