But it's really what we saw next that shocked everyone the most and has bothered me since. The driver of the vehicle he was in, and one other passenger, turned the car around, came back and looked at their "friend" and then drove off back towards town. I understand they likely panicked and didn't know how to respond. They had likely been drinking and were scared. But it still seems especially callous, and even more so that it is the next morning and they haven't come forward even to give a name to the victim.
I'm not sure why this has stuck with me for so long, I mean while working with the fire department, I saw my share of trauma and it didn't really bother me. I think the best way I can put it is that it somehow it bothers me and makes me wonder, would my friends do the same to me or would I do the same to them. Obviously I don't expect to find myself either driving or being the person standing while driving at excessive speeds on a highway, but in life, we often see someone fall in other ways. And I'm certain there have been times that my fear of getting involved in the mess or just not caring enough has caused me to leave my friends on the side of the road when they needed help. I can remember one conversation with a friend that I'd grown up with who was visiting from across the country; she was telling me that she was considering a divorce and although I talked her through it that night and discouraged her, I never followed up. She was across the country and I didn't have time to take care of the problems she was facing and become involved. I've now lost contact with her and always regret the way I handled it.
Sticking around someone that's been hurt or had a bad fall is hard. You have to say difficult things, you can't be in a cozy spot pretending all is right, you have to get caught up in the messiness of someone else's life. And it isn't usually the choice that going to gain you popularity points either. I find it a lot easier to stand at a distance and gossip with others about how I would never be caught in that situation or what I would have done differently. Maybe this is a challenge to me to stop and look around, to be willing to be there when someone falls, to be willing to stop what I'm busy with and put others first.
And it's also a picture of what Christ did for us - we were all fallen, unable to get up and unable to do anything for ourselves and Christ was willing to die for us, to give us his name, his identity, so that we may have real life.
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Good analogy, Dee-Anna.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the best thing is not the easy thing to do. This is when I like the acronym WWJD?. He chose what was good and right each person he met. Definitely not what was "popular" or "feel good".
Thanks for sharing.
Jane