My Young Hero

Today my hero is a 6 or 7 year old girl I may never meet again.

Last night, Ash and I had a Daddy-Daughter date at "the Taco Bell with the pwaygwound!"  After she hurriedly finished eating, she rushed out to the indoor play structure, disappeared through a tube, and scrambled up into toddler nirvana.  Since the big family that was out there was just leaving, she had the whole thing to herself.  I'm still not exactly sure what happened next.

As she got to the far tower of the structure, she slipped, or bumped her head, or something, and started crying. "Daddy, I'm stuck!!"  She needed to go up or down one stair to be able to get out, but whatever had happened left her scared, crying, and screaming, and she just couldn't muster up the bravery to do either.  Because of the way the structure is set up, I can barely see her.  The area under her is blocked off by walls and fences, and as I stare at the tiny opening she crawled through I'm sure I can't get to her.  I'm staying calm, trying to encourage, advise and negotiate in any way possible to convince her she needs to move.  My mind is racing through as many strategies and outcomes as possible, and my heart is breaking as she continues to cry for help I can't give.

Eventually, I decide I have to go after her.  I squeeze through the hole and slither around an enclosed circular staircase I am most certainly too big for.  I can get half way to her before I'm afraid my next move would break something and make this worse.  At least now I can see her and the one step she needs to make.  But still she won't move; still she cries for my help.

And then, my hero arrives.  This little girl, sent out with her little sister to play, comes scrambling up the stairs.  She seems appropriately surprised to run into me.  I said, "Hi.  Do you think you could crawl over there and show her how to get out?  She's scared and feeling stuck."  Without any of the reluctance I feared, she crawled over to Ash and began to show her how she could slide off the step without getting hurt and crawl back to me.  When Ash wouldn't budge, she patiently switched gears and showed her the best way to climb up the next stair to the slide so she could get out that way.  When Ash, in her emotional state, couldn't even make that happen, my little hero gave Ash a boost up that stair and escorted her down the slide to me.  I will never know her name, and am already forgetting her face, but every time I see a play set I will think of the little girl who saved my daughter.

I think sometimes we view helping others as some sort of monumental undertaking.  But how many of you know someone who just feels "stuck" in life?  Someone who feels like life isn't all they wanted it to be, but they have no idea how to get to their dream anymore.  Someone who feels like life has hit a dead end but they can't figure out how to get back to the last fork in the road.  Someone who is stuck in an addiction they can't escape.  Someone who is stuck between buying food or buying shoes for their kids.  We all know somebody.

Help doesn't have to be monumental.  Take time to listen to them.  Feel their fears and tears with them.  Get excited about their dreams with them.  Maybe you can use financial resources to give them a proverbial boost.  Maybe you can simply invite them to church.

Their Heavenly Father chooses to use us.  He is asking you to help them.  Be listening; be responsive; be a hero.