An online friend sent me this story, and I thought it was just too good not
to share. God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right
time. The friend's story is as follows:
I was walking down a dimly lit street, late one evening, when I heard muffled
screams coming from behind a clump of bushes. Alarmed, I slowed down to listen,
and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing were the unmistakable sounds
of a struggle: heavy grunting, frantic scuffling, and tearing fabric. Only
yards from where I stood, a woman was being attacked. Should I get involved?
I was frightened for my own safety, and cursed myself for having suddenly decided to
take a new route home from work that night. What if I became another statistic?
Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?
Although it seemed an eternity, the deliberations in my head had taken only
seconds, but already the cries were growing weaker. I knew I had to act fast.
How could I walk away from this? No, I finally resolved, I could not turn my
back on the fate of this unknown woman, even if it meant risking my own life.
I am not a brave man, nor am I athletic. I don't know where I found the courage
and physical strength, but I had finally resolved to help the girl, and I became
strangely transformed. I ran behind the bushes, and pulled the assailant off
the woman. Grappling, we fell to the ground, where we wrestled for a few minutes,
until the attacker jumped up and escaped.
Panting hard, I scrambled upright and approached the girl, who was crouched behind
a tree, sobbing. In the darkness, I could barely see her outline, but I could
certainly sense her trembling shock. Not wanting to frighten her further, I at
first spoke to her from a distance. "It's okay", I said soothingly. "The man
ran away. You're safe now."
There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered in wonder, in amazement.
"Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, stepped my youngest
daughter, Katherine.
All appointments are Divine appointments.
