Casandra Martin

I was almost run over this morning. A truck raced through my neighborhood, seemingly unaware that at this early morning hour anyone else would be on the street. I literally had to jump out the way as the truck hurtled past me on its way to wherever it was going.

It took a moment to register that I knew the guy in the truck. He is a friend of mine, and a Christian. He isn’t somebody who is uncaring or disinterested. This morning he was probably just distracted or in a hurry. I thought about sending a message telling him that he almost ran me down, but decided texting someone who isn’t driving very safely to begin with wasn’t such a good idea.

While the adrenaline settled down, I started thinking. Do I run people over? Not in my car, but with my attitude, my self-focus, my busyness, or my tendency to rush?

Jesus never ran over people. His eyes were always on the lookout for hearts that were hurting, bodies that needed healing, ears open to listen, and souls willing to surrender. He took the time to notice, pay attention, and step outside of Himself. On His busiest days, He felt the merest brush to the hem of His garment. On days dark with grief, He had compassion for the hurting and hungry. Even with agony pressing on every nerve, He was aware of the soul beside Him and offered grace.

My Jesus Resolution today is to slow down. I don’t want to run over people, but I tend to let the time-pressing, stress-crunching, pressure-prodding nature of my to-do lists turn my eyes inward. I get in a hurry, and forget that there are other people on this road called life. Today I have a chance to make a difference to someone I meet on the way. It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary – a smile, holding a door, allowing someone to go first, letting someone in line – all open the door to letting grace fill the moment. This small move may be the light someone needs to see Jesus.