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God
has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right
time. 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 of 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
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 moral courage and physical strength-but once I had
finally resolved to help the girl, 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 OK," 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.
Catatan:
Apakah
kita harus memilih dan berpikir terlalu jauh untuk menolong
orang? Bagaimana bila kita dalam kondisi yang sama? -Don't
Think To Much! Just Give your Help!
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