This morning I was on the way to work thinking about so many things that are up in the air in my life right now when I drove by a Jeep Cherokee sitting in the ditch on the other side of the road. I looked as I went by and it was a fresh accident….but no one was stopping. I drove down a little ways to the next driveway and watched in my rear view mirror as car after car passed but no one stopped. I turned around and went back to the Jeep and got my umbrella and got out to see if anyone was in the car. As I looked in the car I saw someone slumped over the steering wheel. I opened the car door and about that time someone had pulled up behind me (She had turned around as well) and came up to the car about the time I opened the door. Thank God she was a Nurse as she knew what to do, she checked his pulse and couldn’t find one and she yelled at the man and no response. She dialed 911 and they walked her through questions and dispatched paramedics. After about 5 minutes he started to come to. She asked him his name and he said it was Marcus (At least that is what we made out) He said his back hurt really bad and he could not feel his legs. About that time the paramedics came and she went over to fill them in on what was going on. He started to try to move and I told him don’t move until the paramedics came over. I told him that the most important thing was to not move yet. Strangely enough the next thing he said was “I am going to be late for work”. I told him to not worry about work he wasn’t going today. I then thought, I should pray for him. So I started to pray for him in a forced fashion, not a natural reaction as it should be. They got him out of the car and into the ambulance and that was that.
There are many things that have bothered me since I left. The first, why have we gotten to the point to where we don’t help others unless it is convenient? It was pouring rain, and people were hurrying to work, and everyone passed this car thinking, someone else will stop. This time I did stop (And a nurse too) but how many times have I seen someone that needs someone, and did not take a minute to help them? It makes me sick that even as a Christian I have this ability to not care inside of me. Since I have been diagnosed, I have tried to make a conscious effort to help others when I can. I still fail all the time at doing this but each day I try to do better.
Another thing that bothers me was that prayer was not the first thing I thought to do. Marcus needed prayer, and from me it came as “oh yeah, I should pray” and then it was a struggle to do. Again, it makes me mad that I am a Christian and have been for many years, and still it is not a natural thing for me to do. I am sure I am not the only one with this problem, and that makes me sad. What has gotten us as people to this point? Our friends hurt and we do nothing because we have other more important things to do that it will interrupt. Others need us, even if it is to just listen to them so they don’t feel so alone. The point is we need each other, and we should be there for each other, but yet we are not, not truly anyway. You catch a glimpse of it here and there but on a consistent basis, we are not. I am tired of being that way…you should be too.
Pray for Marcus, pray that he is healed. He said his birthday is Friday, he will be 21. Pray that he has a better future ahead of him. Maybe if you start by praying for him, the next time someone needs you, it will be easier to do, and each time will become easier until it is second nature. I pray to God that I can become the person that when there is a need, they will come to me.
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