Getting Our Attention

A few years ago, a young successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12-cylinder Jaguar which was only 2 months old. He was watching carefully for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed the spot no child darted out, but a brick flew out and - WHUMP! – It smashed into the Jag’s shiny side door. SCREECH! He slammed on his brakes and his gears ground into reverse, tires spinning the Jaguar back to the place where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted, “Who are you? And what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new Jag, and the brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?” “Please, mister, please…I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do! I threw the brick because no one would stop.” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy pled, “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 young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair, took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything else was okay. He then walked with them to make sure that the younger brother was able to get them back home all right. It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining 12-cylinder Jaguar XKE – a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix that side door. He kept the dent to remind himself not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick to gain his attention.  There are times when God has to do the same. Bricks in the form of trials, tribulations, sicknesses and temptations come from the dark to stop us in our tracks. However, when this happens we realize the dents and scrapes in life only serve to make us better people. It is through these experiences that we begin to see, hear, and understand what God really wants to do through our lives. So let me end by asking, “Is God having a hard time getting your attention?”