It was about 5:15am and I was already heading to the gym on one of the main roads near our house. Right before I arrived at the gym, my headlights caught something moving near the side of the road. At first glance I thought it was a large dog, but as I approached I noticed that it was not a dog but a deer. I slowed my car way down and slowly passed by the deer and noticed that it was in trouble. The deer’s back legs were caught in a storm drain while its front legs were firmly planted on the ground in front of it. As I drove past the struggling deer, I swear it looked straight into my eyes until I was no longer in sight. The thought crossed my mind to stop and help the deer, but I couldn’t remember if they were labeled as animals who bite. Oh well. Certainly, someone else who knew more about deer would stop and help, besides, I had a schedule to keep. Almost an hour later I traveled the same road home and wondered what had happened to the deer. Did someone stop and help? Was the deer able to free itself? Was the deer still struggling? My curiosity was suddenly satisfied when I drove past the very spot where the deer had been struggling one hour ago and it was lying on the side of the road…dead.
It happens every day. We see someone struggling. We think that there is someone more qualified to help. We walk away. We wonder what ever happened to that person who was struggling. We find out that they’ve made a mess of their life. We feel bad that we didn’t do something to help. We keep on ignoring people.
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, ‘Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you’” (Proverbs 3:27-28, NLT).
Those who are struggling need an extended hand, not a turned head.
