The Helpful Stranger

Just then a man who was in his early twenties rode up on his bicycle. “Need some help?” He asked. “Sure,” I responded. Dressed in a rock band T-shirt and adorned with tattoos and assorted piercings on his face, he placed the wrench on the final nut and gave it a mighty pull. The nut still wouldn’t budge. Unfazed, he jumped in the air landing on the handle of the wrench. His acrobatics worked and the pesky nut loosened. Then together we completed the job and soon I was ready to go on my way.

“Thanks,” I said, “you saved the day.” “No problem,” he replied, “it’s something I do all the time. Part of my recovery program. You see I got addicted to drugs and booze, did some time in jail for robbery and now it’s my turn to help others.” As he spoke I noticed his infectious smile and a broken front tooth.

“What’s your name?” I asked. “David,” he answered. As we shook hands I asked him what he did for a living. He told me he washed dishes in a local restaurant. Then I asked him how his recovery was going. “It’s tough,” he said as his mood turned serious. “I’ve got a wife and kid and I owe it to them to stay well.” David changed the subject and asked what kind of work I did. I told him I was a writer. “What kind of books do you write?” he asked. Not wanting to go into a lot of detail I simply told him that I drive around the country asking people about their faith. “Don’t know much about faith,” he said, “other than from AA. You know, the higher power stuff. My sister’s pretty religious. Some kind of Eastern thing, Buddhist or Muslim or something like that. For myself, I just don’t have the time to think about it. You know, I’ve got mouths to feed. I do get a little anxious sometimes. That’s when I get on my bike and ride. Can’t drive. State took my license away. But I’ve got so much energy to burn.”

“I hear you,” I said. “When I get anxious you know what I do? I pray. You talked about your higher power. What do you suppose that is?” David stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he broke the silence. “I don’t know what I believe, maybe someday I’ll figure it out.” We shook hands again and he rode away.

It’s during brief encounters like this when I’m so thankful for the gift of faith. Yet I’m always reliving these experiences, thinking “I wish I’d said this or said that.” Maybe I could have witnessed to him in a way that would have brought Christ into his life and scored one more for Jesus. But on reflection, maybe it was in God’s plan to have David witness to me. After all, I was the one in need and he came to help me. If the roles had been reversed, would I have stopped to help the stranger in distress? Or would I have looked the other way, figuring it was none of my business? Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done. All I know for sure is that this young man stopped when I was in need, and then blessed me by sharing the struggles he was facing in his life.

Loving God, thank you for placing David into my life at my time of need. I pray that through you he will find the answers to the personal struggles he is facing. Life has been tough for him and sometimes he made poor choices. But we are all broken vessels living imperfect lives. It is through your son that we come to understand the love you have for each of us. Amen.