The chunk of shredded tire flew out from the car just ahead of me. It was smoking hot. A few sister threads followed without warning. Fortunately, I was not riding in their path. As the pieces went by at waist level, I wondered who had paid the price.
I did not have to wait long. Along the side of the highway was a pick-up truck with two couples. They were standing in disbelief besides the right side of a ski-boat on a trailer. They had no idea what they were going to do about the two shredded tires. As I flew by on the Harley, I realized that I had no idea if they needed help. I could not imagine two couples without at least one cell phone. Having said that, I did not see anyone with one. I do not even know if we were in a coverage area.
As I kept looking at the forlorn scene fading in my mirrors, I did not see anyone stopping to see if they were ok. Cars and trucks alike sped on past the apparently invisible scene. Ignoring the obvious is not something new. When one looks across time, individuals have always been in situations that cried for help. Others had the opportunity to reach out and make a difference. Often they did nothing.
There is the story of how “the street rabble turned on Sosthenes, the new meeting-place president, and beat him up in plain sight of the court. Gallio [the judge] didn’t raise a finger. He could not have cared less.” (Acts 18.17)
I wish this story had an ending that made sense. It does not. I used the excuse within my mind that there was no easy way to turn around to go back. I kept rolling. I did not think to call it in. I did not check to see if someone accepted a call to be God’s hands. On this day, I choose to be one that acted as if I did not care. I wonder if today will be any different.
