Don't Know, Don't Care?

The headline immediately caught my attention.

BRANDON MAN DIES IN CAR ACCIDENT

I quickly clicked on the link.

We had, after all, lived in Brandon for four years.

Was it someone I knew?

Please don't be Mr. X, or J..what if it's S? My mind went through some of the fathers I'd met during my stint as the Youth Services Supervisor for the Brandon Library.

I held my breath as the page loaded then exhaled a sigh of relief when I didn't recognize the name of the deceased.

My relief was short-lived.

It's okay because you didn't know him? I heard the Lord ask me.

Um, no, I guess not.

Someone still died.

And there are many out there like me who DID know him.

In an instant I knew the entire message He was pouring into my heart.

Yes, my thoughts were common. It's natural.

It's also natural to care only about those we know and love.

But that's not a compassionate heart.

It's still about YOU. It's about who YOU know and how YOU feel.

True compassion is caring just as much for the stranger in the store, or the neighbor's aunt, or even the guy on the street.

God is no respector of persons and neither should we be.

I should've mourned as deeply for the 21-year-old whose life was cut short as I would've my own son.

I've buried a child; I know how unlikely that is.

And yet, at that moment, I knew how wrong I was that I only felt relief.

Today was a busy day. I must've talked to at least 60 people on the streets today. Gave some food out, gave some rides, even bought a tent.

And in true human nature, there were some I doted on, some I tolerated, and some I avoided as much as possible.

I didn't even realize my error until I clicked on the article.

I was wrong.

It may be NORMAL but normal isn't necessarily right.

In fact, in these end times we are in, normal is almost always WRONG.

When I stand in front of that judgement seat I don't want to be NORMAL.

I don't even want to be RIGHT.

I want the Lord to feel like He's looking into a mirror.

I hear things all the time like You're an angel or You are doing great things.

That's nice, but there are only 7 words that I truly want to hear:

WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!