What Would You Do?

Riley (after tripping and landing on her bottom): "Ouch, mom, I fell on my bummer."

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Riley (as we cross the street to check the mail): "Mom, you have to be careful and look at both cars."
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He is going to be mad at me for posting about him but I just have to brag about my husband for a minute. 

Yesterday, on his way home from running errands, he saw a man on the ground outside of a strip mall area near our house. As Roger (my husband) watched, the man tried to get up and then fell back down, flailing around and looking miserable.

Roger noticed that there were several people walking nearby the man (in and out of the stores) but they were completely ignoring him. He couldn't believe it. 

Thinking that he might be stung by a bee or something (and really needing help), Roger pulled over to the side of the road to see if he could help. When he reached the man, he asked him if he was ok. The man said that he had just called 911 and was waiting for an ambulance. He was working (construction?) near the area and stepped in a pothole or something and had snapped his ankle. He said that he didn't know what to do but that he had to go to the hospital because he couldn't walk.

So Roger sat with the man and waited until the ambulance arrived, making sure he didn't go into shock or need additional help. 

He came home and told me this story and that absolutely no one else walking around had even bothered to stop. Although it's really a sad state on our society, I wasn't too surprised to hear it. There is a famous Good Samaritan experiment which showed that, in a similar situation, only 40% of people bothered to help someone in trouble (I remember this from my sociology classes in college because it shocked me so much). What's more, they even included in this experiement people who said they were religious and found that this didn't make any difference in how they acted. 

I had to take a moment to pause to think about what I would do in a similar situation. Maybe being a woman, I'd be less inclined to stop, fearing for my own safety. But I find that pretty depressing too - that we're all so worried about our own safety (and that we live in a world where sometimes that is warranted) that we keep our heads down and focus only on ourselves, hoping someone else will help the other person. Hopefully, I'd at least call 911 but I just can't say until I'm in that situation.

I just love Roger's heart because I know that he didn't even hesitate. For as long as I've known him, I've treasured how loyal he is to his friends and how he is always willing to go above and beyond for family and friends if they  need help. He never hesitates. And, as he proved to me this week, he is also willing to do this for strangers. I am beaming today because I am so in love with this man who is not afraid to step outside of his comfort zone to help someone in need. I'm sure he'd say he was just doing what any good person would do, but I know better.

I love you buddy! And I promise not to write about you anymore. Ok, at least not very often. :)
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Luke 10:25 - 37

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 

A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”