Video footage from Monday’s tragedy shows that, a split-second after the deafening blast near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, confused crowds, including runners already near exhaustion, scrambled for a place of safety. But among them were some who ran back – toward the smoke, toward the roar, toward the danger – to help the wounded.
After every crisis we marvel at the seemingly innate heroism of ordinary people who display extraordinary selflessness. We wonder if, given the chance, we, too, would respond with grace and courage.
Friends, we do have that chance. All around us, lives are exploding. There is violence and confusion and hurt, and most people are busy just trying to get out of the way and get to safety. But what if God’s people ran toward relapsed addicts, broken families, and failing schools? What if more of us couldn’t wait to be on the front lines, challenging the dominion of darkness with the grace, love, and truth of Jesus?
This week my prayers have been with the victims of a senseless act in Boston, and they are also with the countless other lives reeling in the wake of crime: 2.7 million children with an incarcerated parent, the caregivers and parents dealing with the imprisonment of a loved one, the victims of crime, and 2.3 million men and women behind bars, many of them lost in sin and despair.
It’s time for God’s people to run into the fire to rescue life’s wounded. Learn what you can do today at prisonfellowship.org.