“Mom, why didn’t you help him?”  Writing those words still fills my heart with regret.  We were driving home from convention last summer, just Allison and me, and had stopped for gas.  We were about to leave when I noticed a young man approaching, looking directly at me with an inquiring but hesitant gaze. He started to tell me a story about why he needed help with getting some gas and asked if I would help him. My response was quick and decisive. “No, I can’t – I’m sorry”.  I shut my door and told Allison to drive away quickly.  As we were pulling away Allison said to me, “Mom, why didn’t you help him?  Did you see his car? I think he was telling the truth.”  Immediately regret and shame filled my heart.  When approached for help my first instinct had been to flee; my daughter instead looked at him, evaluated the situation and saw what I had completely missed – a real opportunity to help my neighbor; to be Jesus to someone. I wish I could say that was the only time in memory that I had missed an opportunity; but sadly I often do.  Usually it is because I live life too fast, always in a hurry – too busy to take time for others.

When I was a girl living at home, my dad was the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Ellsinore, Missouri. For many years a large banner hung above the baptistry that said “OTHERS”.  Dad would often quote a little poem to the congregation that said:

Others, Lord, yes Others
Let this my motto be
Help me to live for others
That I might live like thee.

That day at the gas station I was only thinking of myself, not about the person in front of me with a need.  I didn’t look much like Jesus that day – but my prayer for this day and for the rest of my days, is that I will grow to be more like Jesus, and to live with a consciousness of the lost around me and a desire to demonstrate the love of Christ to all who may cross my path.   
pjk