BY SISTER LAURETTA LEIPZIG
A successful young executive was riding along, speeding slightly in his brand new Jaguar down a neighborhood street when he noticed a young boy darting out from between parked cars. He slowed down a little bit and as he neared the young boy, a brick smashed into his car door. He slammed on the brakes and drove back to the place where the brick had been thrown. The furious man jumped out of his car and caught the boy while shouting at him, “What was that all about? Look what you did to my car. Why did you do it?” The young boy was scared, but very polite and apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mister. I didn’t know what else to do. I had to throw a brick because no one would stop for my call for help.” With tears rolling down his cheeks he said, “It’s my brother. He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and he is badly hurt. I can’t lift him up.” The sobbing boy asked the man, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He needs help and he is too heavy for me.” The young man was moved. He hurriedly lifted the boy and put him back into the wheelchair. When he thought everything was okay and was returning to his car he heard, “Thank you, Mister.” The man watched the boy push his wheelchair bound brother down the sidewalk. He then went back to his car and just looked at the dent. He never repaired the dent; he said that he kept it to remind him of an important message. “Do not go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.”
Sometimes we are like that speeding driver. We know our destination, but we are not always conscious of others whom we meet on the road of life. Consider some of the various reasons why this can happen. We get so caught up in all the “stuff” around us – the calls we need to return, the emails unopened, the “to-dos” uncompleted – that we don’t see them nor their needs right before us. It also might be that we’re spending time in fruitless activities and allowing compassionate opportunities fly past us. Perhaps our focus wanders and we’re not acting on our core values. Maybe we’re afraid to break the mold and take risks that open our eyes to see opportunities of giving of ourselves. Finally, another reason might be that we would rather stay safe than take a risk. ” Someone summed it all up in these words: “The problem is that we are so absorbed in other things that we are not ready nor willing to face the needs before us.” Yes, life is a challenge, but we can never allow ourselves to miss what it is really all about. The win lies in fulfilling the call that God has placed in our lives and being aware of God’s mission for us to act as giving, generous Christians. It is fixing our eyes on the needs around us. But we can’t do that if we’re speeding along with our heads down. We will miss the opportunities God brings our way. We will miss God speaking to our hearts sometimes in a loud call, but often in just a tiny whisper. It becomes our choice: stop, listen and grab on to the opportunity to bring our concern and help when or where it is needed or wait for the brick!