Article May 4, 1998 ISSUE

Highway emergencies—refusing to "pass by on the other side"

How to help if you see an accident.

By Maureen Helms Blake

Traveling at the speed limit on a blue June morning, heading north on Interstate 29 out of St. Joseph, Missouri, I pass the scene of an automobile accident. In a glance I see the overturned van, surrounded by three police cars and an ambulance, with another rescue vehicle fast approaching. Nearly a dozen people kneel around figures on the ground. I see that all possible human steps are being taken, so I continue down the road. I am not needed.

Or am I? I thought about the familiar parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:30—37). Recently I'd been reading that parable about how two strangers looked on a wounded traveler and then "passed by on the other side" without stopping. Finally, a third passerby looked and then stopped to meet the need. In a flash, I know that even if my physical help isn't needed, I can stop mentally and provide aid in the way I know best, the way I've always helped myself and my family. I can pray.

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