The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I was texting with both of my sons the other night when a very sad experience came back to our remembrance. We lived in another home when the boys were growing up. We had a yard, they had a paper route to earn money, they went to the local school withing walking distance. But, you know that there is that one kid in the neighborhood who bucks the rules. The kid that likes to make trouble on the bus, in the class room or, even in my home! This kid , with a bunch of boys, walked outside our kitchen window, picked up a rock and threw it at our window, actually breaking it. They ran, but not before I identified the kid, with my sons help.
Well, through a series of phone calls and persistence on my part, we were able to identify the thrower, get him to come to the door, apologize and pay a portion of the window repair. Done deal, right? Not!
There was so much I did not know about that young man! So much about his life, his feelings about life, even his spiritual condition, that I should have investigated. Oh I did my best to ‘teach’ all the boys a lesson, including my own, our actions have a consequences. We need to take the responsibility for them. They may have caught that lesson alright, but did I give them the solution for that behavior? I had the answer; Jesus Christ living in me. I kept it too myself!
Several years later, in a news broadcast that still haunts me, that young man was found hanging outside his home from a self-inflicted final call for help. No one found him until it was too late.
I cried! Not only for the waste of a life, but for the guilt I felt not sharing the good news of the gospel with him. Do I know if he would have received it? No, I just know God gave me an opportunity to interact with a young man clearly calling out for help as he tossed a rock at my window. I now had an open platform to explain to him that even though he did this bad thing, God loves him and wants to have a relationship with him.
Since then I would like to say my eyes are more open and I am more aware of these types of cries for help. But I am not always! Each and every day we interact with people who are angry, maybe have a chip on their shoulder and take it out on you, They may bump into our car and leave a ding. How do we react? What if we knew their spouse was just diagnosed with terminal cancer and they were there to pick up scripts to help them with the pain. We often only have one opportunity to show the love of Christ in a meaningful way. Let’s try to make that our first response.
Recently I was at the drug store myself getting medications and other items to help my husband with the pain of a kidney stone and a ER visit. I was fumbling with my items, the store card, then the machine would not process the card, and I was searching for the right amount of money. I was flustered and apologized to the clerk for my lack of preparedness. He smiled gently and told me it was OK. “We understand that if you are here, you may be dealing with a situation at home that is stressful. We hope to ease some of the stress.” That comment was like receiving a hug! Someone who understood I had a reason that I was not on my game!
A month later, same store, I was feeling confident that this store would understand as I asked several questions about products I needed. My Mom, and husband were both just at the ER for a covid test. It was positive. I just wanted to run in for some supplies and quickly get out. Unfortunately, I got a clerk that apparently did not have the same work ethic as the previous clerk. I had instructions from the hospital, my store card and both of their insurance cards as I was getting stuff for them both. The woman was very curt, abrupt, and had an indignant attitude, though no one was waiting in line. I finished my transaction and smiled, behind the mask, of course. I laughingly said; “I am the kind of customer that teaches you patience.” She rolled her eyes. She was obviously not learning.
Truth be told, in any given interaction we have during the course of any day, we just don’t know what people are going through. Did the kid who threw the rock at my window just get a beating from his alcoholic father and was taking it out on me? We just don’t know.
Because my husband was Pastor of a church we had more than our share of suicide calls from families in the church, or even the neighborhood. He was a teacher for 33 years, and had more that his share of exposure to suicides there too. Now, we facilitate GriefShare classes at our church. The people left behind from a suicide deal with so much guilt, it takes a very long time to recover.
I bring this up today because sometimes there is a way to halt that process. People with suicide on their mind often want someone to stop them! We need always to be diligent people watchers. In the case of this young man, if I could go back in time, maybe a private talk about why he did it would have been more beneficial. We know ‘hurt people, hurt people’, therefore if we can find the source of the hurt and offer Jesus to heal it, maybe, just maybe those wasted opportunities would have a different outcome!
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