You may have seen this video where two ladies handled a dispute like total adults (or school-age children). It makes my heart hurt just watching it. Especially when I see the 6-year-old being coaxed by his mother and others in the crowd to hit the other woman.
The question that immediately comes to the forefront of my mind is,
“Why is no one stopping this?!?”
And then I’m immediately led to the follow-up question,
“Why instead of jumping in- are you filming these women??”
“GET OFF YOUR PHONE!” I would’ve yelled as I pulled them apart and looked at the crowd for help. I’m constantly in ready mode for John Quiñones to jump out for one of his documentary segments, “What Would You Do?” I’m not shy about jumping in with total strangers in a parenting situation or social injustice I see. Maybe I need to keep my nose out of things. BUT, maybe people need to step up for one another instead of voyeuristically giving approval of said behavior/situations because they do nothing.
Many of the comments made online about the incident and by the people there ranged from “I didn’t want to jump in and get sued” to “It’s not any of my business, but I’ll watch if you’re gonna put it out there.”
*insert dumbfounded look here*
Seriously?
But it has happened to you before.
They’ve watched you get a punch to the face.
Life handed you something that knocked you down,
or you were on the track to make a HUGE painful decision,
and the ones around you…
*stone faced*
They kept moving along.
Or they watched without jumping in to help you.
Worse yet– they may even claim to be a friend.
In your stunned gaze, you try to gain composure, the ones around you silently say to themselves-
“It’s their life. I shouldn’t get involved.”
“I got my own drama going on.”
“It’s not my place to tell them how to live.”
“Everybody has to learn. You do you.”
Here’s what I love about the life of this man named Jesus-Â every time He meets somebody out of sorts, hurting, making awful choices, being belittled and ridiculed… He jumps in.
He gets neck-deep in THEIRÂ mess.
He gets the “Scarlet E” for eavesdropping.
Jesus doesn’t care about being politically correct.
Jesus doesn’t care if you’re embarrassed.
Jesus doesn’t care if it is a burden to what He has going on.
Jesus doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
All Jesus cares about is helping the hurting.
Setting those in bondage free.
Loving those the rest of the world is unwilling to love.
And, he wouldn’t just watch you get a punch to the face.
So don’t count Him out, because He hasn’t counted you out.
And while you mill that over in your head, jump in for someone today.
It will mean the world to them.
// This is blogged from “Branded With Love,” by Jason Bedell. To find out more about him, head over to brandedwithlove.com. Jason pastors Forefront Church in Va Beach. Check them out at forefront.org
