Take Notice

A while back I saw a man standing on a subway platform with his guide dog. He appeared to need some assistance, so I asked him. It turned out he was on the wrong side of the tracks.

With a little bit of guidance from me, he headed in the right direction and went on his way with his guide dog. Like so many others at the subway station that day, I initially walked right by the man, not wanting to miss my train. But something made me stop, take notice, and reach out.

A similar situation happened a couple of weeks ago. An elderly woman stood alone at the train station, and something about her made me take notice. I smiled and asked if she were okay. She said yes and since we were headed in the same direction, we shared light conversation during our trip. She let me know she appreciated the company.

Ordinarily, I do not reach out to total strangers. Frankly, it’s risky and I don’t want to end up involved in something I can’t handle. However, something inside me nudges me outside my comfort zone. Have you ever experienced that nudge?

So What Do We Do?

Not getting involved and avoiding contact with strangers keep us safe, right? However, what if someone who has the means sees another in need and refuses that person compassion? “How can the love of God remain in him?” [1 John 3:17].

Consider the story of the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:29–37]. Robbers beat a man and left him to die. Others veered away from the beaten man, but the Good Samaritan went out of his way to care for him. Are we like the ones who avoided getting involved or are we like the Good Samaritan?

Truthfully, I don’t know if I will ever have the means or the fortitude to go as far as the Good Samaritan. How can we know unless we try? Perhaps those inner promptings to take notice and reach out are the Holy Spirit nudging us to share its fruit.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” [Galatians 5:22–23]. The more often we share, the easier it becomes. In other words, we have so much more to give one another in person than writing an occasional check to charity.

What’s the Difference?

We may not always see the difference an act of kindness makes unless we are on the receiving end of that kindness. The difference is the sense of reassurance we receive with unexpected help. It’s the reassurance that we are going to be okay. We are not alone.

Getting a stranger’s help re-energizes faith in humanity. Usually such moments come when my faith is at a low ebb. What’s more, acts of kindness have ways of spreading. Small acts tend to lead to bigger acts of kindness which we all need whether we are giving or receiving.

Today, so many lives are headed in the wrong direction, lonely, and don’t know where to turn. When no one takes notice with a helping hand, we all suffer the consequences in one way or another. Therefore, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind” [Hebrews 13:16]. Amen!