But at the time, momentarily, we were not at all sure what the outcome would be. We both feared the worst. Brenda was right by her mother's side, and I was on the phone immediately with 911.
And then suddenly, a woman appeared on the scene. She immediately took charge, checking Evon out, asking her questions, putting a cold compress on the back of her head where a knot was forming, just speaking very gently with her to let her know that help was there. The paramedics did arrive in short order, and Evon did end up spending one night in the hospital, for various tests and observation.
We found out later that the woman who came to our aid was an Emergency Medical Technician from Wisconsin. She and her husband were staying there at our resort. Brenda and Evon got the chance to sit down with her for a bit to say a personal "Thank you," and learn more about each other. Brenda calls this woman our "angel," who showed up just when we needed her.
There is a great passage in the book of Hebrews, where it says, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2) The King James Version calls them "angels unaware."
The point is to be helpful and gracious to everyone, even those you don't know, because they all have worth in God's eyes. We just may not realize all the people who are right around us who would help us at a moment's notice and who we should be willing to help. This should be an encouragement to us to be more patient, kind, gracious, tender, helpful, with everyone we meet.
I heard about a man who was driving and saw a sign in the back window of the car he was tailgating that said, "Be patient with me, I'm a student driver." So, the man eased up a bit in his relentless pursuit to hurry forward. And then he thought to himself, But shouldn't I be patient with every driver? Shouldn't I be patient with everyone?
Shouldn't we?
Grace and Hope to you,
Pastor Duane
