Just Running By

Little White Crosses. Along my running route there's a little memorial. It has a little white cross sticking in the grass right in the middle of it. We know what that means. It means someone died here. Then right beside the cross there is a small 5x7 picture of a young man. I've passed this many times, and honestly I hardly even notice it anymore. But the other day, while I was running around the curve that the memorial sits beside, something changed that.
As I came running up on the memorial, I saw a riderless bike propped up on its kickstand. Hunched over on the grass beside the bike was a man. As I ran by, I could sense and see his grief, pain and loss. Having lost one of my brothers tragically, I understand the pain of losing someone you love dearly. As I've watched my parents work through their pain and grief, I'm convinced that losing a son or daughter tragically is one of the most painful and difficult experiences one can ever face.
As I ran by, I wondered who the grieving man was - could he be the deceased's father, brother, friend, or uncle? Could he even be the one responsible for this young man's death? I wondered what his story was. I wanted to stop and talk to him, but that felt like it would have been awkward and maybe even rude. So I just went running by.
As I ran by that memorial again today, I thought about the people I know who are going through difficult, painful, and trying times. They may not have lost someone tragically, but they may be facing difficult situations. Regardless of why they may be in the messes or situations they're in; I don't want to just run by. I want to stop. Sit in the grass with them. Listen to their story. Empathize with them. And hopefully, help them find hope, healing, peace, and strength in the embrace of the Savior.
I don't just want to this because I think it's the nice thing, or the right thing to do. I want to do this because this is what I see the Savior and Redeemer of the world doing when he walked planet earth. He was constantly pausing to touch the broken and bringing them healing. One of my favorite is found in John 5 where Jesus heals the guy who'd been crippled for thirty-eight years. Jesus refused to just go running by. Then later in Acts 3, we read about Peter and John. While walking to the temple to pray, they encountered a cripple man. They pause, reach out to him, and God does something miraculous through them. Because they refused to go running by, the man experienced healing and ends up "running and leaping and praising God."
It may sound idealistic. But it's who I want to be. I'm committed to working on it. Because I've got to make sure that I don't just go running by. Who are you running by?