Encourage Me: Like a Good Neighbor

It was a hot humid Sunday afternoon at around 3pm on June 12, 2016. Allena’s work shift was done. The temperature was around 84 degrees as she walked out the front door of her place of employment. On the other side of the parking lot, Allena thought what she heard was one of the many a seagulls that scavenged for food in the parking lot of her store.

Getting into her car, Allena listened to the sound again. It was definitely loud, and not the voice of a seagull. She drove around until she discovered the maker of that noise. Inside a blue Chevy pick-up truck was a distressed black and brown Dachshund. Each car window rolled down a bit had not lessened the soaring heat index inside the vehicle.

Obviously the owner(s) of this car didn’t know (or care that) dogs can sustain brain damage, or even die from heatstroke in just fifteen minutes. Beating the heat is extra tough for canines because they can only cool themselves by panting, or by sweating through their paw pads.

Allena was estimating this Dachshund had been inside this heat trap for at least thirty minutes (or maybe longer). Maybe the dog’s owner had got sidetracked from a quick errand with all the many distractions her store had.

If needs be, she’d bloody her fist, and break one of the car windows to save this precious pooches life. She felt this canine was counting on her for help. (She wondered how many others had ignored this bark for help.)

She wondered if pouring her bottle of cold water on this overheated Dachshund to cool it down would be the right thing to do once the animal was safely out of the car.

Her job had never provided her with any instruction on what to do. As a co-parent of three Chihuahuas, her heart knew exactly what had to be done very quickly.

If you wouldn’t intentionally leave a human baby inside a car, Allena wondered why would one leave a dog (that is like a family member) to deal with this heat. Allena wondered why the owners had not chosen to take the Dachshund inside since the store allowed that.

My daughter tried calling me at home for advice, but I was on the phone with the library, and didn’t wish to interrupt my call. (In my defense, I assumed that the situation was not dire.)

Allena spoke with her mother (via cell phone at work in the same building), and took her advice to call the police. She did this. When the police arrived, they requested immediately that someone in the store make an announcement for the owners of that vehicle to return immediately to the parking lot.

Allena was not present for the outcome of this rescue mission that would involve a policemen waiting at this car. In her heart, my daughter is happy to know she did exactly what she’s sure Jesus would have done in this situation. Maybe Allena was the only human that stood between life and death for this darling dog.

If this true life event sounds like a familiar version of something you’ve read in the scriptures, you would be right. The story of the Good Samaritan can be found in Luke 10:30-37(CEV). It can be read below:

Jesus replied: as a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.

A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. Later a temple helper came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.

A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them.

Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

Allena would be the first to let you know that she isn’t a saint. My daughter is a good person that allowed her compassionate heart to assist her in doing the right thing at the time it was most needed.

In moments like this, my pride in being her dad is enormous. Obviously, her mom and I did something right in parenting her among the many, many mistakes we made

Little did Allena realize, but my daughter was inadvertently obeying the mandate of Philippians 2:4 (MSG): “Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

I need to ask you if God can depend on your willingness (in unusual situations) to be used by Him for His glory. He desperately needs the talents and abilities that only you have to offer. Your response will reveal a great deal about your relationship with the Almighty whether it is sickly or healthy.