[Tuesday's Devotional] - Reach Out...

Reach Out....
It was a day last Autumn.  My grandson was away with Explorers for the weekend.  So I took Lynda to Daventry Country Park - where we had been with other family members before - for the afternoon.  We had a pleasant stroll around, although it was a bit breezy, and then got ourselves a hot drink before returning home.

As we sat and chatted I noticed a man on the bench opposite.  He was trying to get the last few drops out of a can of Pepsi into a plastic cup and wet his lips.  As he did so he seemed to be looking round to see if anyone was watching and his manner was as someone who was a bit lost.  There were two women some feet away at the same bench, one young and the other elderly, talking quietly together but ignoring him.  In fact,  nobody seemed to be taking any notice of the man who continued to look as if he wasn’t sure what to do.  I don’t wish to be unkind in any way, but he seemed a bit simple and nobody appeared to notice or care.  Lynda was sitting opposite me with her back to the man and so did not see him.  Someone needed to do something.  I excused myself with Lynda, got up, went to the kiosk and bought a can of Pepsi.  This I took to the man saying something like “You look thirsty mate.  Here I’ll open the can and you can drink from it or pour it into the cup.  Enjoy.”  Then I simply went back to my seat and continued my drink.  The man poured the contents of the can into the cup and drank it down, but still looking round to see if he was being watched.  We finished our drinks and left, but as I waited for Lynda to visit the Ladies the man came along followed by the two women. The young one indicated to the man to go and look at the ducks and swans, and she followed on with the elderly lady.  So there was a ‘carer’ with him all the time, but it didn’t seem like it earlier.

So why did I feel like I’d poked my nose in where it wasn’t needed?  Even a bit guilty of interfering?  Perhaps I had, but sometimes you just have to reach out ..... don’t you?

Lord, give us the courage to reach out when help looks needed. Don’t let us turn a blind eye and walk away if there is something we can do. Amen.

Jim Finch