The Bystander Effect

Every morning at 7:05 my t.v. turns on automatically, I use it as a back-up alarm for my dysfunctional cell phone. Today was no exception. However, upon coming out of my sweet slumber I began to hear the words of the news reporter and was immediately struck with a broken heart, which isn't the best way to start your day.

In New York City, a woman was being mugged and a good Samaritan stepped into help, only to be stabbed while the thief ran off. Making only a few steps before collapsing to the ground, the wounded man lay on the ground for hours as more than 25 people passed him by, some even stopping to take pictures. Not one person stopped to help him or call emergency services and the man died before anyone could save him. All of this was caught on security cameras and now broadcast for the world to see.

(you can watch it here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/36776405#36776405)

The reporters described it as the Bystander Effect, a "social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present." To me, it was a modern day story of the parable of the Good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke:

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him." Luke 10:30-34

As I sat there, watching this story and recaps of other similar situations that have been caught on tape, I was overcome with sadness as the tears flowed down my face. If you know me, this isn't exactly hard to believe...I'm extremely emotional and sometimes cry during a good commercial. I couldn't help but wonder how many times we pass by people in need everyday without a second thought. I personally have never, to my knowledge, encountered this type of situation, but I have ignored the cries of the homeless and hungry more times than I can count. Are they no different than the man that has been stabbed? Jesus says in Matthew 25:37-40:

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

So often, we ask that our hearts will break for what breaks the heart of our Father, but I think we forget that He's listening to our requests and will follow through. Conviction is a hard thing to swallow, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to rest in His grace and the chance to take action, not ignoring the silent whispers of my Savior through the lips of those who need our love. Join me, will you?


No longer a bystander,

L

Just this one thing...

...Found this draft of a blog, just waiting to be posted. Thought you might like to read it.


For the past few weeks, our church has been going through a series called "Shattered Dreams", which happens to be coming at the perfect time for what seems like quite a few people. The first week we looked into the idea of control and how we cling onto it as if our lives depend on it, so easily forgetting that our dreams are not our own. This week, however, was beyond an explanation, the kind of message that makes it seem like God called you to his office just to meet with you and no one else, although I'm positive I was not alone in this.

I've shared with you a little of my own personal "shattered dream"; of the desire to work in the music industry and the illusion that because I was trusting and taking that leap of faith, God would hand me my dream job on a silver platter at a circus-like welcoming party upon my arrival to Nashville. After just 3 months of resumes and cover letters, I found refuge in the idea of throwing in the towel and moving home. Three months. That's all it took to feel as if I had been abandoned and cast off by the One who had instilled this desire to be here in the first place.

"And yet the truth is that God is most powerfully PRESENT even when he seems most apparently ABSENT." -Pete Wilson (my pastor)

It's so simple, God has promised that he will never for one second abandon us under any circumstance, yet we are so quick to assume he has when things aren't going the way that we had imagined they would. His PRESENCE should be felt in a powerful way in these moments of uncertainty. More often than not, I think we get lost while we're waiting on God's timing and fall back into our natural instinct to control and manipulate our circumstances to suit our needs. The tragedy is that while "we're focused on where we're going, we miss who we are becoming." -P.W. We continually ask God for just this one thing, convinced that it will make our lives more significant, whether it be a job, relationship, healing, etc. What we're missing is the person that He is creating us to be while we wait.

There have been many times in my life where I've truly felt abandoned because the dreams I had for my life were not panning out as I thought they should be. Peace and understanding is found when we realize that we can't always see the web that He is weaving. Uncertainty is no longer a word to be feared, but embraced. I've come to find that the moments I feel surrounded by chaos are the times when He is doing his best work.


"All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You.
You make me new, You are making me new."
--Gungor, "Beautiful Things"

Driven to a Purpose

For the past 5+ years, I've been focusing my attention on the age old question, "What am I going to do with my life?" More often than not, it seems to revolve around the career path I'd like to take, the salary that would allow me to live comfortably (while satisfying my shopping habits!), and one that is easily transferable due to my ever changing geographical desires. After flip-flopping my way through high school and college, I graduated with a degree in Business Management, a path that I never thought I would take. The "plan" was to move to Nashville the minute I walked off the stage with diploma in hand, but my lack of reality drove me head on into my Aunts' basement apartment with two jobs and a less than glamorous lifestyle. Eventually, that stirring, unsettling feeling in my heart became my sole companion and I realized it was time to move, both figuratively and physically. Through all my ups and downs, taking this road instead of that one, I held steady to the fact that I am made for greatness. Not one person in this world is void of that calling, despite the contradictions fed to us daily.

I recently came across a quote that I wish would have come along months and months ago, but nonetheless it found its way to me in time.

"And the day came when the RISK to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." --Anais Nin

There's a point in our lives when I think God pokes us between the eyes and forces us out of our comatose state to see the person we could be, the life we could have, the dreams we could be living, if only we're willing to risk our complacency. I was facing this issue then and am at a crossroads with it once again. Having jumped off the deep end to make the move to Nashville, I came to a point where my jobs (yes, plural!) were consuming me body, mind and soul in the worst way possible. Slowly, I began to see that my relationships, both heavenly and earthly were being affected and I was being asked by the One who holds my heart, "Is it worth it?" I cannot claim to be a biblical scholar, but I'm fairly certain that in not one version does it say love your job, love money, love exhaustion, etc...in fact I believe it says the exact opposite, all encompassed into love God and love people. Period. God had given me exactly what I asked for, I was financially stable after months of pinching pennies, but at what cost? True reality was charging at me like a runaway freight train and I was standing on the tracks just waiting for it to hit me. It was no longer a matter of what my dream job is or where my next paycheck is coming from, but what is my purpose, and am I doing everything I can to work towards that goal? I've realized that it's not about whether your job is fulfilling or not, but are you fulfilling your job?

With that idea of purpose in mind, I'd like to take you back to January of this year when an earthquake of epic proportions hit Haiti, an already devastated and unstable country. I think its safe to say that it rocked our world tremendously. Swarms of people, money and supplies flooded the country at a rapid, unexpected pace and gave rise to a movement of people of action. Amidst all of the debates, not one person deserves life over another; whatever side you were on, the people of Haiti needed help and still do. My heart was breaking and nothing I could do seemed to mend that. In the weeks following the tragedy, I couldn't seem to shake this jittery feeling (like a kid who has had one too many marshmallow peeps on Easter morning) and concluded that there had to be something I could do. With minimal finances and lack of ability to pick up and leave, I started creating. It never occurred to me in the past that hobbies could become acts of service and love, they were there as an outlet to our sometimes mediocre lives. Crafting greeting cards has more recently become a stress-relief and economic necessity, but after posting a few pictures of my creations, the feedback gave rise to an inspired idea, which leads me to Vision #1: Design and sell cards for Made4Love.

The vision is to create packs of handmade greeting cards with all profits going directly to world relief efforts. I'm particularly fond of Samaritan's Purse and World Vision, who have been dedicated to serving those in need throughout the world. There is a lot to be done for the cause and will most likely require more time than I can give, but I'm alright with being tired and exhausted if it's for the building of a kingdom that is filled with people of action. I'm welcome to suggestions on designs, website & logo creation, buyers, etc so please, don't hold back! Below are some of the cards I've made recently:

I think its about time we take a step back for a fresh look so that we can make a few strides forward. We're all called to greatness, whether the action is seemingly insignificant or over the top. Each of us serves a purpose that we must discover in order to fit the pieces of this puzzle we call life, together. So, what's your purpose?

Called to love,

-L