Lessons at 6:00 AM

“ 'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you’, declares the Lord.”

—Jeremiah 1:8 (NIV)

I was taking my son and his sitter to a writing workshop when we noticed a bird stuck in a wooden fence in our backyard. The bird had somehow wedged his wings between the two-ply wooden fence. And the more the bird struggled, the more he seemed to get further lodged into the fence. I also noticed a squirrel about six feet away waiting on top of the fence as if anticipating his next meal. Although we were running late, I said, “Let’s see if we can free the bird.” I asked my son to find me a long stick, which he did. I took the stick and inserted it into the fence underneath the bird in an effort to lift him up out of the clutches of the fence, but each time I tried I could only move him up a couple of inches before he would get stuck again as if in a bottle neck. Over and over I tried to free the bird with the stick, sliding him up only to reach the same point where he would get stuck yet again.

I used a stick because I didn’t want to touch the bird for fear that the bird might have some kind of disease. So there I was, persisting in trying to free the bird with the stick. But each time I lifted the bird a few inches it would get stuck again. Then I decided that the solution to my problem was simple. All I needed was another stick—one to lift the bird, the other to keep him stable as I lifted. So my son and I started looking for another stick. And here is when something remarkable happened. As my son and I scoured the backyard looking for the right kind of stick, my sitter reached her hand into the fence and, with the utmost gentleness and swiftness, lifted the bird to freedom. It all happened so quickly. The bird flew off, free once again. But, and here’s an interesting twist, before she lifted the bird to freedom, he left a little deposit on her hand. Perhaps out of fear, or joy, or something beyond our comprehension, the bird relieved himself on her hand.

As we drove away, my son said, “I wanted to see the squirrel eat the bird.” Using this as a teachable moment, I said, “Suppose you were stuck somewhere, and someone was waiting to take advantage of you. Wouldn’t you want someone to come along and rescue you?” He said, “Yes, but what about the cycle of life?” (Too much Discovery Channel for my nine year old!). I said, “Every now and then the cycle of life is disrupted. We must intervene to help those in distress. That’s what separates us from the animals. That was my lesson of the day for my son. But later, I reflected on the key symbols in the story.

• The bird reminded me of anyone caught in a trial; someone who has fallen into misfortune; the poor, the weak, the despised, the minority, etc.

• The fence represents any one of life’s many trials that a person may get caught in and need to be freed from (e.g., addiction, greed, fear, anxiety, depression, pride, etc.)

• The stick symbolized the way we try to help people from distance, without getting our hands dirty, without being contaminated with the person’s situation.

• The hand is the loving, merciful, gentle hand of God (or God’s ambassador on earth) that lifts a person up out of his or her troubles without fear of contamination.

• The squirrel represents the Evil One; the one lying in wait to take advantage of the person’s predicament.

• The bird’s mess reminded me that true assistance is almost impossible without getting involved in other people’s mess. Your hands will get a little dirty when it comes time to help people because you have to go where they are. You have to meet them at their place of need (e.g., the jailhouse, the crack den, the hospital, the homeless shelter, the neighborhood, etc)—the place where they are the most vulnerable, the place where they are trapped.

After I dropped off my son and his sitter at the writing class, I reflected on what had taken place. I thought to myself, That could teach. What I learned is that there are different kinds of helpers. When people are in distress, some people help at a distance. They don’t want to get contaminated with the other person’s problems. Literally, they don’t want to get their hands dirty. They may not be as bad as the priest and the Levite (in the story of the good Samaritan, Luke 10:25–37); both of those “religious” men failed to even stop to help the man who had been put upon by robbers. In contrast to those types, there are others (like my sitter) who are so moved by the urgency of the moment that they just reach out their hands and offer help without thinking about the consequences. My sitter taught me that, of the two of us, what she did was more demonstrative of God’s love and the example Jesus displays in Scripture. Ouch!

Lord, when we hear someone crying in distress, help us not to turn away or to try to help from a distance. Embolden us to not be afraid to get our hands dirty. Father God, help us to see the person you have placed in our paths today who is in need of rescue. Amen.

Reflections

1. Why are some people reluctant to help others in distress?

2. Why is it important for us to intervene from time to time to help those in distress?

3. What does it mean to practice godlike compassion?