On the Way

Tuesday afternoons are insane in our family this Fall. Immediately after dismissal from school P has Occupational Therapy and R has Speech. We have a 45 minute window to snack, complete homework and change before the race to get K to soccer, R to football and P to Kung Fu. There is quite literally not a moment to spare.

This afternoon as I was zipping from place to place, trying to make every second count, we literally had a neighbor in need right smack in our path. A few blocks from my home there is an apartment building occupied by low income individuals. Directly in front of their entrance there was a injured dog in the road--it was clear he had just been hit. Gathered around him were four distraught women, including the one who had accidentally hit him.

I pulled the car over, rolled down the window and asked if they needed help. They explained that they had no car and no way to move the injured dog. They had called Animal Control, but didn't have a plan beyond getting him moved from the road. The dog was conscious and alert despite his bleeding leg and tail. His owner, who seemed quite simple, was literally frozen. She did not ask for help. Honestly, I don't think she could think beyond that moment to what she might need.

I had every excuse in the world to wish them luck and keep driving. We were late. They were strangers. I didn't want a bloody dog in my new car. An injured animal can be unpredictable and dangerous. I had a car full of kids. What if the dog didn't make it? Was I really ready to take this on...

The words I had used to encourage my ladies' small group this morning echoed in my ears...Don't be so busy and distracted that you miss the opportunities to minister along the way in your daily life. It doesn't have to be Earth-shattering. Look for the small ways to minister where you are with what you have.

"I live around the corner and I have a kennel to transport him in," I offered.
The kids and I darted home, loaded up the kennel and returned. (My wanna be vet, K, was quite concerned and completely into it...the boys, not so much.) Along the way we called our vet who got ready for us. When we returned to the scene, the ladies had found a blanket to lift the dog with and before we knew it the canine was safely kenneled and my suburban animal ambulance was in motion.

The dog's owner, Lynette, and the apartment manager joined us for the excursion to the veterinarian. Along the way, Lynette told us about 'her baby,' BoBo, who is apparently the apartment mascot. It was clear he was well loved. We were all hopeful it was just a badly broken leg.

Once they were settled at the animal hospital and had contacted a friend for transportation, the children and I left to return to our afternoon activities. The apartment manager thanked me for the ride and explained that this was just the latest in a long line of recent troubles for Lynette.

On the way home I talked to my trio about loving our neighbors, the good Samaritan and the golden rule.

We also talked about the sacrifice. The time spent on the rescue mission should have been used for homework. It was too late tonight after sports, so we'll have to get up a little earlier tomorrow to finish it up before school. It was a small price to pay for a real life lesson in serving the needy.

Sadly, an hour later we got a call that BoBo had not made it. His injuries had simply been too extensive. As I told K tonight at bedtime her little lip quivered. Then she said. "Well, it is a good thing his owner got to pet his head and be with him so he wouldn't be scared. I bet she is really sad."

I reminded her (but, frankly, moreso myself) that we did all we could. We had the means to help someone who needed it--so we responded. Only God knew what the outcome was going to be. Our role may have never even been about saving the dog, as much as it was about showing unexpected kindness to someone who needed it. Maybe Lynnette just needed to know she was not alone in the world.

My friend Mike Sweeney used to teach a lesson about leaving space in our lives for the opportunities we have to minister while we are on our way somewhere else. He cites the story of the hemorrhaging woman (Luke 8:41-48). As the story begins, Jesus was en route to heal Jairus' daughter but "as he was on the way" he encountered this needy woman. He could have easily shrugged her off. He was on an important mission to save a child, after all. But instead, he paused to hear her need and offer hope and healing.

And I am left with an indelible lesson that I will think about every time I pass this spot down the street. How many other needs do I encounter 'along the way' every day that God might be nudging me to engage? The woman in the grocery store, the Mom in car line, the familiar face that is clearly upset and/or worried, the person I have heard the sad gossip about...All too often I look away and cross the street. Oh, the opportunities I am missing! In this broken world, there are many. Some will be messy. Most will be inconvenient.

If I am really going to be intentional about being salt and light, I need to leave space to rearrange my schedule and be available to notice the needs right in my path.

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.
Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
Romans 12:1-2a The Message