Just Show Up – You Don’t Have to be the Hero
In the picture above, there are two different, normal guys. The first man stopped a mass shooter in a mall food court. The shooter came out of a restroom and began shooting people in the food court. This man at 40 yards shot ten times, hitting him eight times. He risked his own life in an effort to save others’ lives. The second man on the right is a pizza delivery driver. As he passed by a house, he noticed it was on fire. He went into the house twice to save five different children he did not know. On his second trip, he smashed a second story window and jumped out with the child in his arms.
Both of these men in their twenties just showed up. Neither intended to be a hero; yet, both ended their day as heroes. Why? Because they were willing to put the desire to help others above their own safety. They determined to love their neighbor.
Jesus Commended Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves
As Jesus discussed loving others, He taught:
And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise (Luke 6:31).
Sometimes we refer to this as the Golden Rule.
Regardless of what you call it, this principle helps us think carefully how we serve others well. We ask ourselves what we would want someone to do for us in a similar situation, and we allow that to direct our actions. We think as far as our own desires and then move toward others with love and compassion.
The People Around You Do Not Need A Hero – Just a Thoughtful Person
In these instances, both young men chose to serve their neighbor through selfless sacrifice. In both instance, both young men could have died. Yet, the threat of death did not keep them from helping those around them.
What about you? More than likely you will never be faced with defending someone’s life or rescuing someone from a burning home. However, you will see people, meet people, and engage people all around you today where you can treat them as you would want them to be treated. In selfless service, you can choose to smile, give a word of kindness, overlook a mistake, and thousands of other things which consider your neighbor’s desires as more important than your own.
Not sure what to do? Just consider your own heart to discern what is best. Most of the time you will not go wrong. Occasionally, the person you serve will not respond well; however, do not let that keep you from doing your best to treat another person as you wish you could be treated.
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Image Credit Joshua Woroniecki
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