Hidden in Plain Sight

If we just keep our eyes open to the world around us we would be surprised what we could see. I had recently bought a watch online, and as things often go, the band was too large for me. I took it to a local jeweler, and long story short, it got adjusted. Simone and I left the jeweler and were walking a short distance to a nearby grocery store to buy some miscellaneous items. As we were walking, I just happened to look a little bit down and to the side, and I noticed something. Less that two feet off my path, there was sitting on a bench in the shadows a young woman. Her face, illuminated by the bleak light of a nearby street lamp, was downcast, and her eyes were moist as though she was in the midst of crying. There was a couple things that struck me in that brief moment. 1) Aside from her saddened appearance, she seemed like a very average person. 2) There was probably nothing I could do to truly alleviate her suffering.

So many people today are suffering in relative obscurity. They are not languishing away alone on hospital beds. They are not homeless, wandering the streets in ragged clothes, or sitting at intersections with cardboard signs. They are people we pass by every day who seem to be doing alright who are actually wracked with pain, and for the most part, there is nothing we can do about it.

This pain is so often hidden beneath a facade of whatever mask they decide to wear at that time. It is only in darkness that many feel free to truly reveal what is inside, and even then only for a brief moment. If I had been bold enough to sit down and ask this woman what was wrong, the probability is high that not only would her mask have been put back on, but also she would have fled from my presence. Which brings me to the second point that there was probably nothing I could have done to truly help her. I could only pray that somehow she would find relief.

Despite compassionate hearts and good intentions, we just cannot help everyone. We can't even help the majority of people. We can only truly help the few, and leave the rest to God.

Lord help us to know who are "the few" in our own lives.