I attended a college football game with a couple of my sons the other day. The stadium was packed and there was much excitement. This was a home game for our team and the opposing team and their fans had driven across several states just to get here. And it is was really HOT for a September day! So along about the second quarter I decided i need a $3.50 bottled water to cool off.
The line to the concessions was long so there i was...waiting. Then I noticed two police officers approaching at the request of a stadium employee. He was pointing to a young fella dressed in the colors of "that other team." Now I didn't really mean to eaves drop but I did and as best as i can tell this young man had requested a cup of ice from the concession stand to give to someone in his party who was obviously having a hard time with the terrible heat that day. And apparently the concession stand policy is that they don't give out cups of ice. So the young fella offered to pay the $3.50 drink charge and got nowhere with that. He was pleading his case to these two police officers who were obviously NOT going to go against "policy." I could not help but feel sorry for this kid. And at one point I almost walked over there myself to say "for crying out loud give the kid a cup of ice! It's not that big of a deal is it?" I wondered if the concession people and these police officers would have shown any mercy to that person needing the ice should they had stroke from the heat.
Well I got through that long line..finally.. and got my bottled water and that young man was still pleading when I walked away. I could not help but think to myself "here is a perfect example of how legalistic we have become in this world when the policy is more important than people. In the New Testament Jesus tells a story about a man who was robbed and beaten and left along the roadside for dead. Three persons walked by, two of them part of the religious "establishment" and one a Samaritan. And as you know the Samaritan (who was the least likely person to help) was the hero of that story. What has happened to that GOOD SAMARITAN? Has he now turned into the bad Samaritan? When I thought about this incident I asked the Lord to please, please let me show compassion on that person who stands in need of even the simplest thing like a drink of water or a cup of ice! And please God, NEVER EVER let me sacrifice people for policy. Oh yeah, and could you help OUR TEAM win next time?
That's all for now!
The Methmusician
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