February 11, 2024

I read a story about a guy who was a worship leader whose church was kicking off a revival. On his way to church for the first night of the revival, he spotted a car on the side of the road. He slowed just a bit and could see the car had a flat tire with a very exasperated man just staring at it. Knowing he couldn’t afford to be late or get his clothes dirty before the worship service, he just kept going rather than stopping and asking the man if he could help. He got to church, ran through his music set, practiced the choir, and began the service. When it came time for the evangelist to preach, the pastor got up and told the crowd he hadn’t arrived yet, so they would sing a few more songs. Two songs later the evangelist came in. The pastor showed him to the restroom, and another song later he came out and was introduced. When he got up, he said, “I apologize for being late. I had a flat tire on the road and when I went to change it, I discovered my spare was also flat! It took a long while for me to be able to get someone to stop and give me a ride here.” That’s when the worship leader realized THAT was the man he drove right by!
Make it personal. If you want to motivate yourself to be better at lending a hand to someone rather than passing them by, make it personal. I learned this flying on airplanes. My wife is short and not very strong, so when I see a woman on a plane, particularly if they’re shorter or older, I always try to ask if I can help them put their bag away in the overhead. I do that because that’s what I would want some man to do for my wife if she needed to put one overhead. Seeing people in need as someone you know and care about makes their needs personal to you and motivates you to get involved. If the worship leader had known the stranded motorist was their evangelist, he wouldn’t have hesitated to stop. As it was, he simply saw him as “some guy.” So he drove on by.
I want to challenge you with this idea. When you see someone needing help, don’t just see them as “some guy” or “some gal.” Ask yourself the question, “If this was MY father or mother or MY wife or child, would I want someone to stop?” When needs around us become personal, they become powerful. They tug at our hearts and turn our coldness into compassion. And if we take the time to help, we make an amazing discovery. They may not be OUR wife or father or mother, but they are SOMEONE’S wife or father or mother. And they are also a precious child of God. Make it personal. God does. That’s God’s Word for you today.