I just held hands with a man I found lying on the side of the road. Apparently he had been hit by a car and was suffering from a serious head injury.

I had left FHS on my way to run errands before meeting up with a friend, tired and frustrated that the route I had chosen resulted in the most traffic… when I had aimed for the least. I noticed cars parked where they wouldn’t normally be and a crowd gathered along the side of the road, the way they do when there is an accident. As the traffic slowly crept along, I saw first the shining head of a man lying on the ground. Shiny, from blood. Then, his still body came into view. My first thought was that he was dead. This thought remained even as I was passing directly beside him. Finally I saw his arm move, and I pulled my car over into an empty spot. I hesitated briefly, “What could I really do to help?” I thought. But I’ve been in similar situations in the past, happening upon a recent accident, sitting beside and even in the car of men who had been injured in an accident. This was going to be another one of those times.

There was an Afrikaaner (or maybe European) man kneeling over the body. He had just brought a stethoscope from his car to the man. “Can I help you?” I asked. Part of my thinking was that I could be the assistant to this medical man… maybe that would be an important role for me to play. The man said that he had been a paramedic for ten years and he started to tell me about the man’s injuries and how he was drifting in and out of consciousness. I am not sure how long the man had been lying there. This other man had seen him from his car as well and stopped to help. I knelt beside the injured man. He was sweating profusely. I tried to arrange his clothing in a way to keep him cool. I asked some of the other men (all just standing around) to stand where they could block the sun from beating down on his head. I held his hand. And I prayed.

The man on the ground never said a word. I’m not sure he could have spoken if he wanted to, and I didn’t want to try and force him, realizing that every breath was already a painstaking task. He raised his finger a few times, as if wanting to say something, but nothing ever came out. Priority one was to keep him still, and priority two was to just be there… a silent encourager at his side.

I still wasn’t sure what had happened. It was only until the police came that another man immediately stepped forward and admitted that he was the one who had struck the man with his car. I didn’t pay attention to any more of the details. I noticed one of the man’s shoes was missing so I went searching, the policeman and the driver who hit him helped. The point of impact, based on where the glass had shattered, was at least 20 feet away. Had this man landed at the spot where he now lies? Definitely possible.

“Where is the ambulance?” I kept wondering out loud and to myself. Finally it came. The man who had been helping continued to assist in preparing the injured man for the ambulance ride. The other paramedics seemed to appreciate the help. I was a little surprised they did not at least cover the bleeding wound before putting him on the stretcher… maybe they do that at the hospital but he was losing a lot of blood.

I thanked the other man, who did introduce himself but I am terrible with names, and told him he did a good thing today. He said that yesterday he had found himself also at the scene of an accident and was able to help. “God is using you,” I told him. “You’re doing an important thing.”

He also thanked me for helping, even though I admitted that I hadn’t really done anything but that I had been praying. “Just being there is important,” he said.

I walked to my car, driving away with intense emotions. Just being there IS important. That’s why I had gotten out of the car in the first place. That’s why I am involved in my ministry here. Even if I do nothing else, I want to be there for these kids and others in this community… to love, to encourage, and to pray for them. Would you also pray for them? And please pray with me, today, for the healing of this man.