Somebody Elses

I sat in my car last Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, and watched through the windshield as an elderly woman struggled to balance the bag in her hand.

She was had stopped about 6 inches from my door.

And I didn't move. I pretended to be digging in my purse for something. Because it was too cold and I was early for church and didn't want to go in yet.

The selfishness spews like hot lava from this story, embarrassing and humbling as it is to tell. But it reminds me of the sinful nature inside of me.

As I have grown older, I have taught myself this "its somebody else's" behavior. I grew up a server, a people pleaser, a "yes" girl. But over time, I have needed to [rightly so] develop some boundaries. I can't do everything for everybody. I can't lead every program, clean every room, manage every child, and be everyone's cheerleader. There is a limit to my humanness.

But at the same time, I see this learned behavior at times go way too far over the opposite fence. Where rather than simply setting boundaries, I've chosen to stop serving my neighbor and treating them as Christ. I've chosen to turn a blind eye. To let the yard grow. To draw lines in the sand of "my responsibilities" and someone elses. Again, part of this is healthy... but at times, part it is definitely not.

All I know is, the next time I see an elderly woman struggling with her Thanksgiving gift to the church donation center, I will open my door and smile into the cold with open arms toward her.