Stuck in the Muck!

After church Sunday, I decided to go walk over to the coop next to the house and feed the baby chicks (one month and two months). We had had a lot of rain the night before and all of the droppings had been washed over to one corner as the coop is on a slight slope. I looked down and there was this month old baby chick stuck in the muck. The other birds stepped on her and pushed her down deeper. She was struggling, but to no avail.

I was standing there in high heels and skirt and decided I didn't have time to go back to the house and change, so I reached in and pulled out this bird covered in some serious NASTY. I sat her down, got the hose and rinsed her off. Then I brought her into the house, wrapped her in a towel and set the hairdryer on her to warm the poor little thing up while I quickly changed.

Pretty pitiful looking, eh? She was so close to dying.

After a few minutes of warm air and petting, she started to try standing. When I first started to warm her up, she had to be propped by the towel. But by this time she was doing pretty good on her own.

After fifteen minutes or so she was good to go. Isn't she pretty?! I kept her inside with me until she decided to start exploring our bedroom.

She was good to go when I took her back out with her siblings. She was the first one at the feed when I threw it in. She's doing well now and appears to be no worse for wear.

So I started thinking, as I do from time to time. How many times do we see people stuck in the muck struggling and unable to get out on their own? How many times to we step on them, even unintentionally? How many times do we walk past them because we don't want to get it on us? How many times do we simply look and comment on the troubles other people are in?

I've heard it said many times that Christians are the only ones that shoot their own wounded. I'm sad to say that I've witnessed a few executioners at work. But where I think we loose the most wounded isn't in the shooting of judgement and condemnation, but in the way we just get so caught up in our own lives and our own comfort zones that instead of shooting them, we neglect them and let them die.

Then time passes by and we ask, "What happened to...?"

I know I'm guilty of missing opportunities to minister.

You know, Jesus was never so caught up in His day to day life that he walked past ANYONE who was stuck in muck and struggling. He never forgot about them. He was never worried about getting dirty. He focused on other people and helped pull them out no matter their circumstances or His. For instance...

* the woman at the well (John 4)

* Zaccheus (Luke 19)

* the adulterous woman (John 7)

* the sinners Jesus ate with and spent time with (Mark 2)

* the man on the cross next to His (Luke 23:43)

...just to name a few.

We aren't Jesus, but we are to follow His example. I'm praying for my eyes to be opened to see and my heart to be sensitive to feel the needs of others. My commitment is to make contact with at least three people every week and reach out to them with a loving hand.

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13;35