My guess is that we all have experienced being 'kicked to the curb' at least once in our lives. I know that I have and depending on how serious our falls are will determine how long it takes us before we can get back up again. Perhaps you have experienced a couple of kicks in a row and it took you a bit longer to get back up again. Some of you may have even skinned your knee and had some bruising which left a visible reminder of your fall. Still others may have just been getting up from your first kick when you were kicked again and because you were still trying to catch your bearings before standing back up it caused you to hit the ground real hard and you split your knee open and it was bleeding and required a bandaid, maybe even some stitches and someone to help you up. Yes, I could keep going and going because we all have different stories and I cannot begin to imagine them all.
I wrote about a girl Rebecca in August 2015 (His Mercies Are New Every Morning) and she had been kicked to the curb a few times and she sure felt like her cuts and scrapes were never going to heal. Whilst she had applied ointment and bandaids to her bleeding heart and head and other parts of her body, the cuts never had enough time to completely heal before she removed the bandaids when she was kicked again to the curb and her perpetrators expected her to get up on her own and just keep moving despite her bleeding.
Yes, this went on for almost two years and without the help of the many Good Samaritans that were in her life, Rebecca would likely still have gaping wounds. For those who might not be familiar, the Good Samaritan is a story from the Bible. You can look it up in Luke, Chapter 10 and Versus 25 to 37. To summarise, a guy was on a trip and before he got to his destination, he was robbed and attacked and left for dead and two people saw him on their way but went to the other side of the street to avoid him but the Samaritan came by and not only helped him, but took him to a place to recuperate and paid for his bill.
Rebecca was avoided by the people who first knew of her scrapes and then bleeding heart and head but she is so thankful for the Good Samaritans that have been around her to help her and given her a hand when she has fallen back down because she has not been strong enough to stand all by herself. There are many, too many to name and not only have they been family and friends but some medical professionals.
I know that Rebecca finally had to put her health first because even though she had incredible support around her, the kicks to the curb kept happening so she left the place to where she was employed and in turn has faced more kicks to the curb. That is why she is so thankful for her Good Samaritans; without them she is pretty sure she would not have had the strength to stay on this road; however, she knows that her strength comes from her faith and that was passed on to her from her Dad and Mom. She continues to hold her head up high (even on the not so good days of recovery) that she is honouring the memory of her parents by staying true to her convictions.
What I have learned from Rebecca's story in the almost 3 years of her recovery and healing journey, it is understandable why a lot of people give up when battling for what is right because of all the bureaucracy and red tape. Systems should be in place to help people not discourage them but this has been her experience every step of the way. It is only because of the supportive and loving people that she has had around her including her Doctors and Psychologist that she can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Rebecca and I cannot help everyone in this world but it is my prayer that we can show mercy to our neighbours as the Good Samaritan did; will you do the same?
No comments:
Post a Comment