It's My Life

A couple of weeks ago I saw a news story about an incident in a sandwich shop. Video tape showed a man attempting to help a woman who was being abused by another man. The assailant turned on the “Good Samaritan” and proceeded to beat him unconscious. Video tape showed five men waiting to be served and two people behind the counter looking on. No one made a move to help the man who was brutally beaten. No one raised a cell phone and called for help. They stood by and watched as the assailant grabbed the woman and left the shop.

The privatization of life has evolved into a new ethic of detachment from what is going on around us. “That’s your life and this is my life” has become the norm in the streets. We can scream at referees and at council meetings but everywhere else…silence. It is politically correct to “leave people alone” – to give them their space regardless of the circumstances or repercussions of their actions. Increasingly, in Christian circles, this same phenomenon has evolved into a consumerist perspective of faith that wants church and all it trimmings without the responsibility of community.

A cursory reading of the New Testament letters makes it clear that Paul and others speak to believers in the context of community. Believers, by virtue of their relationship with God are in relationship other believers. We are birthed into Christ and into community. Occasionally, our wellness is contingent on community doing what community is designed to do – help us.

Proverbs says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

1 Thessalonians 5:14 says: “And we urge you brothers to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men.”

Does somebody need you? Pray about it. Ask for wisdom and understanding. Consult the Word of God. And, remember that helping someone recalibrate their life in the Spirit is an act of love and discipleship. Lay your sandwich down and take a step.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas