A week ago today I woke in the middle of the night to chaos. There was banging around at my back door. Someone was yelling, making loud and strange noises. I came out of my bedroom to find Keaton coming up the stairs, his cell phone in his had. He held it out to me, telling me he had called 911.
I felt alarmed and confused. Keaton shared with me that someone had been trying to get in our back door. With 911 on the line, I went cautiously down the stairs.
By the time I reached the kitchen the noise at the back door had stopped. But I could still hear the person whaling loudly in my back yard. It was very dark outside and difficult to see, but I spotted movement in the back corner by the garage. Someone, dressed in dark clothing, was moving around, yelling and waving his arms everywhere.
He moved from the corner of the yard to the front of the garage where my car was parked, still yelling. I had hung up with 911 and was waiting for the police to arrive, but I didn't dare leave my kitchen window. I didn't want to lose track of the man's location in the darkness.
He was making loud and desperate noises, batting at the air like he was trying to get into a door that didn't exist. I stood there in the kitchen, frozen, my heart pounding with fear.
Suddenly it became clear to me that he was in trouble. He needed help. I watched him, stuck there at the garage, helpless, trying to find his way. Desperate. Confused. Unable to make progress.
In that moment, I saw the whole of humanity there in one young man. Lost. Stuck. Tormented. And the fear gave way as compassion filled my heart, pushing everything else out.
The police arrived a few minutes later and kindly escorted him from my yard. Two policemen took care of him and another two came to my door, asking to come inside.
The young man was drunk, not quite twenty, and barefoot. In the snow...
The policeman stayed for a long time, talking with me about preparations I should make for the future in the event I should actually need to protect myself from an intruder. And I listened.
But I couldn't help but reflect on the young man, the situation he had been in, and what I had seen.
I am grateful he landed in my back yard where he was able to get the help he needed. I'm grateful for the moments of human aloneness and desperation I observed. They were a good reminder of how stuck we all are, how dependent on each other we are, and how blessed we are by our loving Heavenly Father and Savior to have the help we need when we need it. By whatever means.
The supplication to come unto Christ has been close to my heart lately. I shared my testimony in church this morning about the grace of God, His mercy and kindness, and how blessed I feel to have my Savior, Jesus Christ, to turn to when I am stuck. Which is all the time, really. One way or another...
Happy #117 is Trust help will come. Come unto Christ. We're all stuck in the corner of the yard or at the garage door. Or somewhere. For one reason or another.
Coming to Christ is simply seeking Him. Turning to Him, looking to Him, praying to Him. Our souls unite with heaven when we are in pain. Even if we're crying out and batting in the darkness, unaware of what our souls are pleading for.
God knows. And He will see us through.
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. And I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
No accident that he wandered into your yard. The outcome could have been very different, and possibly very ugly, had he ended up anywhere else. No coincidences. He is fortunate that you are someone who is in tune.
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