Cries

Many cries for help go unanswered, especially the cries that are found in the ordinary events of life. In our busyness, we rush on to the next, hoping, praying that someone will respond to the call.  We are so busy that we run on as if we are facing a permanent crisis that commands our attention, time, and heart.  Meanwhile, the cries continue.  We rely on others to respond.  We depend on someone, anyone to come to the need.  We hope something will be done.
Among those that I admire, there is a common theme.  He or she often responds to the cry of heart.  How they respond varies, yet often it is a response of the heart not the pocketbook.  They take time to care – to share a smile, to listen, to carry a burden.  Even in the crisis of life, they take time to shed a tear.  With all the demands from those with expectations, they stop and sit.  I find their quiet embrace, interested conversation, and shared laughter to be filled with the best of humanity's love. 
This is not a new response.  Others filled with God's Spirit have taken this course before.  When “some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over.  Peter got right up and went with them.”  (Acts 9.38)  He cared enough to stop.  He was present, no absent.  His journey moved forward even as it went sideways.
Life is not found in the dream to come, it is found in the ordinary moment at hand.  Our greatest actions in life are often invisible to all except those in need.  We walk on the verge of greatness yet often wallow in the mundane and trivial. 
God offers each the chance to be Divinity's ears.  We can listen to the cries of those in need and give God's compassion.  We can see the outcome of evil and delivery mercy.  We can embrace those alone, providing the gateway to community.