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What Would People Think?
by Carol Fleming
,…”He …said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And…there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him…and took care of him.” Luke 10:29-34.
Ever wonder
Ever wonder if you should go up and speak to someone and didn’t?
Guess we’ve all been there.
Ever wonder if your words could have made a difference?
Would your words have helped,
if only a little…..
My main concern the winter of that year was whether Mike*(name has been changed) liked me…
Mike was lanky and red-haired and freckled and fun-loving and seventeen. He took the Agricultural program and loved basketball. We sat together in study hall, and with several other friends, we had lunch together. He’d walk me to class. He’d make me laugh. He asked if I’d come to watch him play basketball. Once, he was punished in my place. He grinned at me, signaled for me to be quiet, and took it for me.–
The blame
—In fact, he always took the blame for others.
It made me wonder if he took the blame for someone else the day he was suspended from school.
His suspension was all we talked about. It was the big story of the day.
I couldn’t get Mike off my mind. Mike suspended! I couldn’t believe it.
Then, walking home from school, I passed the local hangout. I passed on the opposite side of the street, as we “good kids” did, but still, I saw Mike there, sitting on the curb, looking lost, dejected, looking like he needed a friend.
I was surprised that he’d be there. Surprised he could look that down and out.
I slowed my steps and hesitated.
Nice girls didn’t go to the hangout.
I never did.
My friends never did.
Never.
Still, Mike looked pretty forlorn. Pretty alone.
Maybe he could use someone to talk to.
Maybe I should say it would all work out and things would somehow get better again. Maybe I should say God would help him and I cared.
But what if people saw me over there?
I’d Never go to a place like that.
Yet, there I’d be.
It wouldn’t look good.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE THINK?
That one won the argument.
I kept walking home.
The next day Mike committed suicide.
That day I learned I had lost my only chance to help him in this world.
No one thought I was awful for going to the hangout,
for I hadn’t gone.
No one thought badly of me.
Except me.
I went back to study hall
and Mike no longer sat next to me.
Mike wasn’t with the crowd at lunch,
making me laugh.
He never walked me to class again…
or asked me to watch him play basketball.
I didn’t have to wonder if he liked me back.
I tell about Mike
But in churches up and down the east coast, where I’ve taught Bible classes to tots, teens, and adults, I’ve told them all this story of Mike.
My kids have heard it, and now my grandchildren have heard of Mike too.
Jesus told us the story first. He said two men, leaders in the community, passed by the man who was beaten and left to die. Perhaps, they didn’t want to take the time
or get their hands dirty.
Or maybe,
like me,
they forgot to wonder what God would think,
and simply wondered what people thought.
Lord, forgive me.
Lord, forgive us all.
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