how not to get lost in the dark....

 


If ever you see another in need, but then reject the urge to help that one out, be aware that perhaps you may have been that person's only ally in this sad world. The whole "entertaining angels unawares" thing  is only a small part of it.
Two years ago, my husband and I had just purchased a 2003 Grand Am. Although it had high miles on it, the car was in great condition and I was proud of it, as I had always wanted one, but could never afford it. This car was a lucky cheap find. While driving along a country road one Sunday, my husband noticed a hitchhiker and said he would stop and pick him up. I had begged with him not to. I thought that maybe he was a carjacker and would steal our car. Despite my pleadings, my husband stopped anyway. The young man was so happy that someone made time for him as he went on and on about a motorcycle that he had to get from a shop that was over six miles away. "And you're walking there?" my husband asked. "Yes I am," he replied.

As they conversed, I felt a deep shame run through me, that I had suspected this polite man of trying anything so lame as to steal our car. He was so glad when we had made it to his destination as he shook hands with each one of us, then stepped out.

As I write this now, I cannot remember where WE were headed that day, only that his destination had been out of our way. Here is the thing: as he had driven along, I do remember my husband making a wrong turn someplace back, which lead him to a young man with no transportation in the place where he had been. It isn't as if the weather was bad, because actually, the day was partly cloudy and not too warm or too cold. What it was...was a chance to just be a compassionate person to another in need.

People don't have to be rescued from burning buildings or saved from tornadoes or massive starvation for you to be their hero. Sometimes, just being a friend when it is needed is all it takes to make another's day, restore some order to their lives and perhaps...at some point, they will pay it forward. Who knows? Maybe that payment might include saving someone from a burning building, a massive tornado or from being hungry or homeless. Isn't this the way that Life ought to be?