May 26, 2016

A Turtle and a Chipmunk

I rescued a turtle this morning as I was driving out of our neighborhood. I stopped the car, picked him up from the road and put him on the grass on the other side. Part of his shell had already been damaged, so it was a good thing that he was spotted by a decent person like myself who stops to help turtles. I got back in my car with a warmed heart. Then, less than ten seconds later, as I was still congratulating myself on my benevolent nature, I ran over a tiny chipmunk.

My heroism lasted literally less than ten seconds. The little guy darted in front of my Kia, doubled back, and went under the wheel. The only thing I could do was look back in my rear view mirror to confirm that he was goner.
 
What did this all mean? I stopped to rescue one animal and because of that I end up getting another one killed. Was there a deep lesson to be learned here? Could I use this story in a sermon to illustrate some profound truth? I thought, probably not. The only point from all of this is that animals should be more careful on the road.
 
Then I realized, I am an incompetent savior. If the world depends on me to make everything right, then the world is out of luck. If my self-image depends on me being the hero in every story, then I am out of luck. I am not a competent savior, but I know someone who is.


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