In Need of Help
On June 18, 2008, a woman named Esmin Green passed away due to blood clots in her legs. Sadly, deaths like this are common, but there is one thing about Green’s death that stands out to me.
She was in a hospital waiting room when she died.
Looking at the surveillance footage, it appears as if Green slumps over in her chair, and soon slips to the floor, struggling to get up. Others waiting in the room refuse to help; they barely even acknowledge her. Amazingly, a guard rolls in on his swivel chair, but, disgustingly, he doesn’t even get out of his chair. After a large amount of time, nurses come and try to help Green out of her predicament.
Unfortunately, it was too late, she had passed. [News story from ABC 7 in New York]
I know that is a morbid way to open this post, but there is a very important and serious lesson we can learn from that incident. Green had gone to the hospital. She had gone to the place from which she needed help, just for her to pass away right there in the waiting room. The guard didn’t get out of his chair because he was lazy. The other people in the waiting room didn’t help, maybe because they were afraid, or maybe because they didn’t know how. But still, even though Green tried to do the right thing, no one came to assist her.
Many times, Christians deal with very similar situations, but not in the way you might think. You see, similar to Green, people who are hurt try to find places that will help them. Now think about this: when was the last time you saw a visitor in your church service or Bible class? It was probably very recently. Now, a visitor like that could very well be similar to Esmin Green; hurt, and in need of help. Unfortunately, just like Green, a visitor might experience neglect when they walk in the church doors. Many times, no one will talk to them or even look at them.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This passage teaches us to be brave in our faith. I firmly believe that in order to do that, we must not be ashamed to share our faith to any of our friends or visitors that walk through the church doors. A visitor could be going through a hard time and looking for comfort. A friend might be confused about their faith, and they might be looking to you and your church for answers.
So with that, the next time you see a visitor come into your bible class or church auditorium, realize that they could be injured spiritually and in need of help. As Christians, it is up to us to not allow them to spiritually die with no effort to help them. Do not be ashamed to share your faith and friendship.
And just think, you may be the one person who saves them from spiritual death.
Photo from Pexels. Link to original.
