When was the last time you rescued someone… mounting your trusty white steed and riding in to save the day?

For me, it was last night. My wife and daughter were out late, past 11:00pm (gasp) and emergency lights and sounds erupted from the dashboard of our 10 year old Chrysler, interrupting their chatter about the show they had just attended. My level-headed wife pulled off the road and did what she should have done, called me.

I had just gotten comfortable in bed and was having a wrestling match with my heavy eyelids. Dreams of trophy bass and Star Wars battles had been the featured attraction of our boy’s slumber for more than an hour already. Now, I had to get up, get dressed, get the boys out of bed and go out into a cold night to rescue my wife. This was something I was glad to do.

I don’t tell you this story because I think I’m a hero, I’m not. I did what I should have done. My wife and daughter needed rescuing. I could help them and so I did. Not for any adulation, but out of love.

This got me to thinking, how many people do we encounter everyday needing rescuing, yet we carelessly rush past? This may be the stranded motorist on an abandoned street late on a cold night, or it may be our next door neighbor.

Countless people wage war alone, battling spiritual, financial, and physical blitzkrieg. Are you there to help?

There are numerous, seemingly valid excuses to keep from getting involved. Rescue involves danger, expense, and exertion. In other words, it’s hard! Which is why so many lose the fight. The weak don’t have the strength or ability to save themselves, that’s why they need a hero. Potential saviors, however, sit on the sidelines.

You don’t need superpowers to be a hero, you need love. The reason most people choose to look the other way is, frankly, selfishness. I’ve been guilty of this too many times myself. If I don’t see the emergency, it’s not an emergency, so I look the other way. The problem with this methodology is, fires blaze everywhere we look. So, we ride through life with our blinders tight against our eyes, refusing to examine our surroundings for fear of being coerced into involvement. This is denial.

Unfortunately, most of humanity have adopted this equine habit. Thousands of commuters rush by the smoking car and its helpless cargo of passengers. Smug businessmen cross the street as the homeless approach. Apathetic Christians horde God’s love and redemption from their friends and family.

You don’t have to be the biggest and strongest to be someone’s knight in shinning armor. There’s so much the smallest and weakest can do with a passion for people. Love never fails. With love overflowing from our hearts, we will always be ready to ride to the rescue.

So go out there and be someone’s Superman or Wonder Woman. Rescue them from danger, depression, or starvation. It’s the least you can do in an effort to model our ultimate Hero.

Has someone rescued you lately?