Life's Race

We are all part of this race and we cannot escape it.  We call it the rat race.  We are addicted to the rat race.  Oh sure, we moan about it whenever we can, but seldom do we put on the brakes.  Oh no, we choose to maintain the pace or even to go faster.  We can't wait to check the emails even though our souls are desperate for a rest.  The moment we get home, we start the laptops to make sure we don't miss an email.  We moan when we have to drive our kids around; we wanted to work in that time.  We don't want to visit friends; we don't have time for that.  When we go on holiday, we replacing the rat race at home with a rat race on holiday, darting from one place to the next, seldom leaving time for quiet restoration.  We are all running so fast, we don't see what is happening along life's journey.

When I got this email today, it made me stop dead in my tracks.  I want to share it with you. 

THE BRICK

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. 

As his car passed, no children appeared.   Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!   

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against   a parked car shouting,  'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' 

The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat... He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless
you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home...

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not. 

 

May we stop before God has to throw a brick...