Nine-Year-Old Loses Leg...but Saves Sister

Would you do ANYTHING to save someone YOU love-even at the expense of your own life?

Would you hesitate, or need some time to think about it?

When I saw this video and

article about 9 year old Anaiah Rucker, it reestablished my belief in pure altruism.

The opening line of the

video gave me goose bumps sharing that her little sister (pictured hugging her in the pink) "can now blow bubbles without a care" because her big sister "cared enough." What they were referring to was one day as the two girls were making their routine walk across the street (while their mom was watching from the porch), when a truck came driving toward them and did not see them. Anaiah in a split second made a decision to push her sister out of the way and take the hit that would have most likely been fatal to her little sister. She also could have been killed, but ultimately ending up being knocked unconscious and her injuries eventually resulted in a lost leg.

This story obviously made me think of our heavenly Father who also took the "hit for us" and how our repentance, along with the acceptance of this truth plays such a significant part in our own healing both physically, emotionally and spiritually. It also made me think of how almost every book we have read including Telling Yourself the Truth, The Bondage Breaker, How to Help People Change, and Effective Biblical Counseling have all addressed our sin issue, selfishness, and the need to constantly replace the lies with the truth. They each made clear how often this is only done with the help of others who can help us not be blind-sided by the lies. What would it look like if we had the faith of this child to simply ACT and not even hesitate to QUESTION that truth?

When asked by the reporter what it was in that moment that caused her to act, Anaiah simply said of her sister that she "was too young to be hit like this...She would probably be gone forever." She then made the comment that still sticks with me as she paused and said "I just love her, she's like a friend." Profound. In the book Connecting Larry Crabb challenges us to fight for each other and be there for each other in Biblical community.

So I pose and ponder another question...what would it look like if we fought for each other, took "hits" for each other, stood up for each other, not thinking of any loss to ourselves...simply because we loved each other..."cared enough"... and called each other "friend?"

That kind of connection could change the world...and give many counselors a much lighter case load!

4 Star General...or a Waiter?

How easily offended are you? What would you do if you had worked your whole life to achieve a certain status, even the clothes you wore screamed of your position, and someone flippantly disregarded your position? Then they treated you as if you were their servant right in front of the most influential people in your country? In that moment, how would you respond? I'm assuming if you're anything like me, a gracious response would not be the first thought you have as your face turns as red as an apple!

Four-star Army General Peter Chiarelli was in Washington for a dinner recently, and was decked out in his full dress uniform...including his striped uniform pants. In case you were wondering, he is the No. 2 ranking general in the U.S. Army, so basically he's a "pretty big deal." Valerie Jarrett who is a friend of President Obama, and former White House adviser, was also a guest at the dinner. As the general was walking by, she only saw his pants. Without looking, she asked him to get her a glass of wine mistaking him for the waiter. She was instantly mortified as she recognized her mistake, seeing his chestful of medals (see picture-they are hard to miss!). With utter class, and an incredibly humble act of grace, the General didn't say a thing, but rather walked to his seat, poured her a glass of wine and brought it back to her...he even invited her to his house for dinner.

How often do we label people, and tag them with a false identity, simply because we don't see the worth put on them by our Heavenly Father?

Do we really care about others like this General, to the detriment of our own respect, hard earned and deserved honor? In my multicultural counseling class, I have been challenged to be aware of my biases so I am able love and serve everyone with the same amount of respect and care. In Philippians 4:3, scripture backs this mandate encouraging us to "in humility consider others as better than ourselves." Do I really do this? As a future Christian counselor, this act of kindness encourageed me, and also reminded me of the book Connecting by Larry Crabb. In this book, Dr. Crabb says we often settle for too little connection and that, "to experience the joy of connection is life; to not experience it is death to our souls...." I can't help but think that in that small, poured and delivered cup of wine, from someone who chose humor and grace rather than annoyance bitterness, there was a simple life giving connection passed - replacing humiliation with a smile...I only hope that I can be such a vessel!