Have you ever almost run over a person with your car? No, I don’t mean the desire to run over someone because of road rage or frustration. I mean just not paying attention, not seeing and just pulling out and almost hitting someone. Well, I almost ran over two young men yesterday. I had pulled up to a stop sign and was getting ready to turn right. I looked to my left and there was a ton of traffic. So, I waited. I looked back to my right and then back to the left, waiting on the last car to drive by. Because I was turning right, I was not really concerned about the traffic coming the opposite direction. When the cars passed, I let off on the brake about the same time as I turned my head and realized that there were two young men in the crosswalk in front of my car that I was totally unaware of and didn’t even see. I immediately slammed on the brakes. My heart almost stopped beating as I realized I could have just run over two young men, simply because I wasn’t paying attention. For whatever reason, this was somewhat humorous to my travel companion, who couldn’t stop laughing at the thought that I could have just run over 2 people. Not sure why that was funny. But apparently it was.
While a few of you have probably had similar situations, all of us have been guilty of almost running over people. Maybe not with our cars, but in the way we live and do life. We are in such a hurry or focused on where we need to go that we just don’t pay attention to the people around us. We don’t see them. We rush right past them in hallways, cut in front of them on roadways and stand next to them in lines and never see or speak. I am the world’s worst. Not just with my car, but to be so focused on what I am doing that I miss the people all around me. How many times have we busted thru a door and run over someone. Or were headed in a direction and so intent on getting there that we almost knocked someone else down. It may be funny that I almost ran over 2 boys, but we are all guilty of not seeing people in our world’s and running over or past them.
And yet, Jesus was all about people. Everywhere He went, He was STOPPING to engage people in conversation. He was never so intent on where He was going that He could not stop for the people along the way. He stopped to speak to Zaccheus in the tree, the hemorrhaging woman that touched the hem of His garment, to heal the blind man. He never rushed past people. Jesus is the perfect example of what life is to be about-people. But I guess my favorite is that while He was always stopping for people, He really just invested life in a few. He spent MOST of His time with 12, particularly 3 and really just 1. 12 Disciples, 3 men-Peter, James and John, and one beloved-John. He made His life about people, yes. But He invested His daily life in a few, perhaps just one.
So while, I almost ran over a couple boys and was reminded that I should STOP and watch out for people. The thought crossed my mind that while I should stop for others and not rush past them, that my life-like Jesus’ should be given for a few, perhaps 1. I can’t invest life in every person, but I can do just one. It is what Jesus did. Could we STOP long enough to not run over people in our worlds and at the same time pour life out and invest all we have in the ONE that God has given to you. Perhaps, the reminder for me was to focus on the ONE in the car and still not run over everybody else. Stop for people, but GIVE your LIFE to a few.
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Doxa, Christy
ALL FOR YOU