When stones don't hurt

Some years ago, an affluent business executive was driving his expensive Jaguar through a Chicago street even as several children were crisscrossing the road.
 Suddenly he jammed brakes when a boy hurled a brick at his car.  He reversed his car, got off with burning anger and grabbed the little boy who damaged his prized possession.  He thundered "That's my new Jaguar.  Look what you have done, you wretched kid".  After the young executive showered his anger on the kid, the kid began to weep bitterly saying "Sir, I beg you, forgive me. My brother is lame and he just fell off his wheel chair into the hedge and nobody was ever stopping to help my brother back onto the wheel chair.  He is too heavy for me.  I threw a brick just to stop you and ask your help."

Moved beyond words, tears welled up in the eyes of the young executive.  He hugged and kissed the child and rushed to help the lame boy into his own car to treat his wounds and bruises.

Some stones are hurled at us to hurt us, but some to slow us down and shift our attention to the more important things of life. If we put our lives on the fast lane, there is every possibility of us becoming insensitive to the needs of those around us.

God has his own ways of drawing our attention and slowing us down to attend to those in need. A boisterous and disobedient child may be trying to slow down his busy parents to attend to his need for love. A rebellious student may be asking for the teachers love and attention.  A husband or wife may avoid the dinner table if there was no love around the meal.  Hurting as they may seem, but they are intended to slow us down and make us a little more sensitive.

There were several moments when Jesus disciples turned a deaf ear to the cries of the maimed crying for help, to the sinners asking for mercy and forgiveness.  But Jesus taught them to become sensitive. 

Jesus was sensitive because he took time to look around. When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, he said they were like "sheep without a shepherd" (Mathew 9:36).  He was moved with compassion for the sick and so healed them (Mathew 14:14). 

He has compassion for the hungry saying "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with me three days and have nothing to eat and I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." (Mathew 15:32). 

He had compassion for people who lost their loved ones.  He was there at the hour of death with Mary and Martha and "wept with them" (John 11:35).  So, slow down, someone may be missing your love and care.