One ordinary morning

I always take a morning walk with my wife, but on this particular day, I walked alone. About halfway through, I saw a man lying in the ditch, badly beaten and bruised. I thought to myself that if I had the time, I would help him, because I knew deep down that I was a person who wanted to help others and possessed great empathy.Suddenly, I found myself standing in the hallway at home after the walk, hearing my wife shout from another room, "You know I'm not coming with you today, right?" I replied that I knew, I hadn't forgotten. I felt unsure of what had just happened. Maybe the walk was too short, I thought, and headed out again. True to habit, I took the exact same route.When I got halfway, I looked into the ditch to see if the man was still there. To my great surprise, there was no sign of him. I checked the spot carefully and saw blood and other traces that spoke volumes. Holy shit, I thought, how did this man manage to stand up, or did he get help from someone better than me—someone with more care and compassion? Apparently, someone with more time and commitment had been there.I started walking back home in the same direction. To my horror, the man was now lying 200 meters further ahead than before. I wondered deeply how this was possible. All he uttered was wailing and misery from the injuries he had likely received from robbers. Why did he move 200 meters in this direction? I wondered. Oh well, he's probably no worse off there, he'll survive either way, I thought, and continued home.When I walked through the door, my wife said, "Good that you changed your clothes, because you'll have to do the walk by yourself today. To make up for it, breakfast is waiting for you with freshly baked bread. Come on, go now."I didn't even realize it until I was suddenly standing outside the door again. There was no choice but to start the walk. During the entire walk, I thought of him lying there, wounded and battered by the side of the road. If this walk had the kind of time I now have at my disposal, I could have helped the poor fellow, I thought. When I arrived at the scene, the man was gone again—and this time, I mean completely gone. I couldn't find him no matter how much I searched back and forth.Perplexed, I went home. My wife happily said that she had helped the man, who was now sitting in our kitchen. She continued, "I was out looking for you and met this man who was clearly in need of help. Since I didn't see a glimpse of you, I carried him over my shoulder, just like you taught me to do in situations like this." She had literally hoisted him onto her shoulder and carried him all the way home. Now he was sitting in the kitchen chair, a bit clearer in his head than before. "Right..." I said. Then she said, "You can take the day off from work today, as we have more important things to attend to." We what? I thought. Today of all days, when Miss Marianne was scheduled to give a lecture on the importance of caring for others. "Okay," I said. My wife bandaged the man and helped him to bed. "I'm going out for a bit," I said. "You've already been out," my wife replied. "Yes, but I forgot something," I said.When I reached the place where the injured man had been lying, I fell to my knees and begged Jesus for mercy—mercy for the hardness of my heart and all the excuses I had come up with. I felt the touch of God's Spirit and became instantly refreshed, alert, and filled with joy.I ran back home, slammed the door open, and asked how the man who had been ambushed by robbers was doing. "What on earth are you talking about?" my wife said. I replied, "The man you helped when you were out looking for me! The one you bandaged up who is now lying in our guest bed." "You're funny," my wife said. "No one has come or gone since you left for your walk."Wow, how strange. A morning hallucination without any drugs, I thought to myself. I must be losing my mind.I had ordered a taxi to work, since there was obviously no sick person to tend to here. "Goodbye," I said, "I'm leaving now." "See you after work!" my wife called from upstairs. I got into the taxi and gave the driver my work address. After a while, I noticed he wasn't driving the fastest route, and before I could even ask him why, he suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Why are we stopping here?" I asked. "You see that person by the side of the road, right?" the driver said. "Yes," I replied, "I do." "She is dead," the man said. "But that's terrible!" I exclaimed. After a brief moment, the driver headed back toward the taxi. "Should we just leave her lying there?" I asked. "That's what you would have done, right?" the taxi driver replied.The taxi drove off again, only to stop once more after just four kilometers. The driver got out and showed me a young girl, no older than thirteen, who had been so brutally raped that she needed immediate medical attention. "Would you have given her that help?" he asked. I searched my heart for an answer that could ease my conscience, but I found none. I answered honestly, "No, I wouldn't."When we finally arrived at my workplace, not a single light was on in any of the offices that were usually fully staffed. "Today is a public holiday," the taxi driver said. "You have had all the time in the world to make a difference, but you only thought of yourself and your own false interests." "Drive me back home, I have to ask my wife what the hell is going on here," I said.When we got back home, I heard my wife's voice from upstairs, saying I couldn't count on her for the walk today. "What? You haven't even gotten out of bed yet?" I asked. "I just woke up and sat up, why?" she asked. I turned around to look at the taxi driver's expression, but there was no car there at all. I seriously wondered if I had all my marbles that day. "You will have freshly baked bread when you return," she called out.I set out for the walk yet again, and it was starting to get a little annoying. When I reached the halfway point, I saw the man—bloodied, beaten down, and thrown into the ditch. But now, there were others there helping him. I felt a sudden surge of anger inside me, realizing how desperately I wanted to be one of those who spontaneously helped this wounded man. They lifted him up, but before they left with him, the man said, "Wait, I want to say something to the one standing over there," and pointed directly at me.They carried him over to me, and he leaned in, whispering softly into my ear: "I love you, regardless of your actions or your flaws. I was wounded and beaten; I was hung on a tree for your sake. You only need to accept my unconditional love, because if you do, it will transform you and set you free from the cares and moral obligations of this world. Do you want it?" he asked."Yes, I want that," I replied.He said, "Receive my Spirit."Suddenly, I became aware of another Person who now shared the space inside my own body—but this Person was much softer and possessed a wisdom I desperately needed. "You are my Lord," I said to Him. "I am your helper," He replied. "I am Spirit and Truth, and if you listen to me, you will never fall."From that day on, I resigned from my fucking office job and became a servant of the Most High—and I don't regret that adventure for a single second.