“Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,” will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know—Someone not impressed with weak excuses.” Proverbs 24:11-12
I have a problem. It’s a big one. It’s gotten me into more trouble than I care to admit. My husband, who is the logical one in our marriage, is forever telling me to toughen up.
It’s called confrontation and I hate it.
I would rather run a marathon without shoes before hurting someone’s feelings.
Tis true.
I’m a utopian idealist.
I’m a dreamer.
My heart bleeds for the underdog.
I cry over Tim Horton’s commercials.
I think cuddling and candles are under-utilized.
Encouraging is my favourite thing to do.
I can’t say no easily.
And hugging, dear friends, is my middle name.
Basically, if everyone could be BFF’s, Cindy would be in heaven. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Except it’s not reality.
Take last week for example when I had to crawl out of my skin and stand up to someone.
This jerk was biting off the head of a young sales associate right in the middle of the store. Everyone was staring. Everyone could hear. The sales associate had a face the color of a tomato and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end.
I did the naturally nice Canadian thing to do and walked away.
It’s none of my business, I thought.
I don’t want to intrude, I thought.
I’m sure she can defend herself, I thought.
I don’t want to get punched in the face, I thought.
Where’s Chris when I need him, I thought.
But the further I walked away, the louder my heart thumped and I knew what I had to do.
So I turned around, walked back, tapped angry dude on the shoulder and said, “I saw what you’re looking for a few aisles back. I can show you if you want? I also think you owe this young girl an apology. No one deserves to be disrespected in such a degrading manner.” Startled, he told me to mind my own business, swore at me under his breath and stormed off.
I guess he didn’t need what he came for after all.
I looked at the sales associate who had tears in her eyes and said, “I’m sorry you had to endure that.” She responded, “You know what the hardest part is? Store policy says I have to stand there and take it. If I say anything, it’s his right to get me fired because the customer is always right. If you hadn’t intervened, who knows how long he would have screamed at me.”
Friends, it’s time.
It’s time to defend.
It’s time to stand up for what’s right.
It’s time for love to speak up.
It’s time to involve ourselves with things that are uncomfortable.
It’s time to ditch the weak excuses.
“Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help.”
Is this passage referring to us saving souls for eternity? Absolutely. But my thinking is, how can we save souls for eternity if we aren’t even willing to turn around, walk back, and tap confrontation on the shoulder?
