My daughter and I had to do a double-take.

Did we just pass a body near the side of the road?

Within a matter of seconds, I had turned the car around.

There, lying on the side of the road with his head inches from the pavement, was a man.  I parked my car and ran towards him while my daughter immediately called 911.

Traffic started to back-up and our plans were abruptly put on pause.

As I reached him, it was apparent that he was conscious and didn’t appear to be hurt.  When I looked into his eyes, I knew immediately what the problem was.

Alzheimer’s.

The far-away, lost, and disconnected gaze quickly spoke volumes to me about how this man had probably wandered from his home, walked down the street, and fallen along the side of this busy road.

Having spent countless hours with my mother, who battled this terrifying disease for a decade before passing away, I became all too familiar with the look, the mannerisms, and the consuming darkness of this sickness.

By this point, traffic had completely backed-up in both directions.  Tucked comfortably in their cars, people grew impatient.  Horns honked and tempers flared as I walked this man across the road to get him back to his home and wait for first responders to arrive.

I sympathized.  There have been plenty of times when I’ve driven up on the scene of an accident or an emergency and had my life suddenly “backed-up” because of the interruption.  My schedule put on hold.  My time frame inconvenienced.

The truth is, loving our neighbor isn’t always convenient.  Helping that person in need doesn’t always fit neatly into our daily planners. 

It wasn’t convenient for the Good Samaritan who adjusted his own journey in order to help a complete stranger (Luke 10:30-35).

It certainly wasn’t convenient for Jesus when He hung on a cross – bloodied and battered – to save us (John 19:1-18).

Simply stated, love isn’t about convenience, it’s about choices.  Small, minute by minute, daily choices to do for others what we want and hope they would do for us (Luke 6:31).

How might God be calling you to love in an “inconvenient” way today?

Until next time, Grace and Glory!