Prepare
To Be Great
Greater love has no one than this...
John 15:13
The man stood quietly, head bowed in
humility, as he accepted the award for heroism. There was a sense he
didn’t feel comfortable with such attention. He did, however, hold
the Mayor’s gaze as the man shook his hand and spoke something
private. Then, as the Mayor moved on to the next recipient, the man’s
gaze returned to the floor.
As the eyes of the audience moved to
watch the next person to be honored for a different act of bravery,
one pair remained on the man. No one but she truly understood the act
of selfless compassion that found him here today; for her life was
the life he had saved.
In one blinding moment her world had
exploded in twisted metal and fire. Coming upon the wreck just
moments after it had happened, this quiet man had risked his life to
extricate her from the wreckage of her crumpled and burning vehicle.
In the process he had received third degree burns on his hands and
arms yet had refused to leave her to die.
He had declined all subsequent
interviews, stating he’d done nothing to warrant attention; “I
only did what needed to be done.”
†
The same selfless attitude that caused
this man to shun the accolades of his peers is the very attribute
that enabled him to put another’s welfare ahead of his own. Not
that he did not value his own life, but rather, was willing to
disregard personal injury and risk death in the hope that he might
save another.
In our day-to-day life, great love is
not usually measured in the literal laying down of our lives. It is
more often than not measured in our willingness to be used to meet
the every-day needs of those within our sphere of influence.
Each of us has an innate desire to help
others; it’s God-given. But fulfilling God’s gift through us
requires participation; He never imposes His will on us…even for
the sake of another.
Doing the every-day things right,
unselfishly helping meet the needs of those around us, prepares our
hearts and minds to be inclined to take affirmative action in a
perilous situation if called upon. Be prepared.
Prayer
“Help me be a selfless
servant to those who need me today, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment