Like a Thief in the Night

I watched as a man died today. I felt so helpless that I felt as if my heart was burning in my chest. Only a couple hundred yards from the children's home, a man's life was ended by a single decision. As we sat in the car with only the railroad tracks separating us, we watched as people rushed into the street to the man who had been hit while crossing the highway on his motorcycle. The sounds of screeching tires pierced the air. I watched as the truck drove off. As we got closer, my stomach tightened. People were huddled around the dying man, but no one would touch him. Blood poured onto the pavement. As we drove away, my heart sank. This man had a family. He was a father, a grandfather, a husband. He woke up this morning not knowing it would be his last. I sat and imagined his family saying goodbye to him that day. I winced at the thought of their grief. Death had come like a thief in the night. My heart broke for him as I pleaded with God to spare his life. The ambulance passed us a short time later -- surprisingly quick for India. I don't know with certainty whether he died or not, but only a miracle from the Great Physician could have rescued him from that.
We drove past an hour later. The people were gone, but the crushed motorcycle still laid in the street and the blood stained the ground. Every time I leave the children's home I will go past that spot. Every time I look out from the balcony I see the highway and the scence flashes in my head again. It is a constant reminder of what these people face everyday. For me, I had never witnessed such a thing before, but for the Indians in my community and all over the country this is a part of life. Although this is the only accident I have witnessed firsthand, I have heard too many stories and seen the wounds of so many people. I have sat in a doctor's office as watched a mother come in with her baby after being hit by a car while walking down the street. I see Thomas everyday as he limps around with six broken bones in his foot and leg as a result of a motorcycle accident that happened almost a year ago. I see the mounds of dirt on the side of the road where a body had just been buried. Death is in the air here.

I pray for hope. I pray that despite all that goes on here that the kingdom of God would break into this place and pierce the hearts of so many who are walking in utter darkness. Lord, come...