The teenage girl clutched her baby tightly under the rain, trying to shield him from the bitter cold. She was alone on the other side of the road under a battered shed. She trembled from her head to her feet.
I watched on as a man with a big black umbrella went across the road and offered to help them out of the rain to the café nearby. I could see the hesitation in her eyes as her body grew stiff obviously not used to such kindness. As she contemplated the sincerity of his offer, another lightning struck and her baby started crying thus making the decision for her.
She followed him into the café. He ordered for 2 cups of hot chocolate and directed her to a table in the corner. After few minutes of silence and sipping her drink, she asked "why did you help me?"
He looked at her reminiscing his pain - He'd just lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. It's been raining, the road was slippery and the car went out of control. Report has it that the cry of a young girl was heard in a gas station near the place the incident happened but because of the rain no one wanted to leave their comfort to help and on getting to the scene after the rain, they were both dead.
As he didn't reply, she looked up and on seeing the pain in his eyes she took his hands and said "thank you for giving me a piece of Heaven."
Maybe not this exact scenario but almost everyday as we go through life, we are faced with scenes that hit us on a deeper level; people in much bigger problems than we can think of, families with much pain and misery, children in worse conditions... How do we react?
Do we just shrug and conclude that it's their lot in life or do we leave our comfort and lend a helping hand? As Christians, we are saddled with the responsibility of helping others despite our own challenges, and though we may not be able to do something about their problems, we can do something to make it lighter, to make them smile, to make them forget about the problems even though it's just for a while; we can give them a piece of Heaven.
We should know that there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for another.
Remember, no one is useless in this world, who lightens the burden of another.
Find some meaning by lending a helping hand...