I was going somewhere recently, and a funeral possession was passing through the intersection. Car after car went by. Obviously, the person who passed away was loved. The sun was shining, and, in many ways, it was a beautiful day. But for the people in that line of cars, things were a little different. We all have been in crisis situations, be it a hospital, funeral, court room, etc. It feels like our world is caving in. Then as we are out and about, we see people laughing, shopping, working, and doing “normal” stuff.

We want to shout, don’t you know what is going on, can’t you see something has happened? But of course, it doesn’t affect them, so they have no way of knowing. We pass people and out of habit they say, “how are you”, your insides are screaming, crying, or numb, but you say, “fine, how are you”. In reality, the person is already a step or two passed you. They didn’t really want to know, it was just a pleasantry. We have been on both sides. How often have we asked that question, but did not want to hear the real answer, that would take too much time.
There have been many days where I have thought it was a beautiful day and that everyone should be having a good day. How often during those times have I been insensitive to the people around me who are going through difficult times? Maybe they needed a hug or a smile, or someone to acknowledge them, and I was too busy to notice. Maybe I was going through my own difficult time and couldn’t see beyond my own pain.

The funeral cars, or the ambulance or any other type of indication of someone’s day just turned upside down pass by. Maybe we should take those times to say a prayer for the people involved. They need healing, strength, wisdom, comfort, etc. We have no idea who they are and may never meet them or even know completely the circumstances of what happened. That doesn’t really matter because God knows all about it. Someday we may be the object of someone’s prayers when we need it most. That is how the body works. We carry each other’s burdens and that is how it should be.