Courage Under Fire
The other day someone responded to the knowledge that I worked for The Salvation Army Family Services with, “I’m sorry.” At the time, I assured them that there was no need to apologise and that I was very happy in my job and that God was still alive and present in the social services of The Salvation Army. Today, a young girl walked into my office, and once again reminded me just exactly why:She is 20, just over 2 weeks out from her 21st birthday. Two nights ago, as she was up studying for mid-terms, she was alerted by a cracking and the sound of collapsing furniture.
Her investigations found her parents racing around the house - it was on fire.
She helped remove her brothers and sisters.
The fire department has told her family that they are lucky to be alive.
Tomorrow she will go back to her house, to find out if anything that she owned survived.
She came into my office as, “the fire victim,” but she is more than that. Not even the oldest sibling, she has taken the responsibility of caring for her family at this time, because her parents don’t speak much English, and no one else is taking responsibility. She is the one thinking about how she has to appropriately accommodate her family, how she doesn’t want to stress her parents by separating them, and how she would love to be able to bring a smile to the faces of her brothers and sisters.
She could have justifiably in a bed, hiding under the blankets, but instead she was in my office, making wise decisions, and even making steps to care for herself and find the time out she needed. And as if the fire wasn’t enough, she is still pulling up from a car accident, which though in no way her fault, left her limited in her capacity to work, and emotionally wounded because of how the events played out.
It’s at times like these that passages like Matthew 9:36 begin to ring in your head, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” It is a real privilege to be the living example of this to someone. It is one of the reasons I love working where I do. In actuality, it’s probably why I’m there.
But after she left my office today, I had to wonder who had helped whom more. As she sat there, with the few tears slipping down her face, talking about all that was on her mind, I had to think how little anything I was facing compared to her situation. How can I say things are too hard, when she is sitting there across from me? And so we may help her, and it will be my joy to be The Salvation Army and to do the things we should do, but I know she will help me; I will remember her courage, and be inspired.
(And in case I didn't spell it out, God is very much alive in our social service!)
posted by bec @ 4:48 pm
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