Several years ago, I worked as a security guard in a shopping mall. The mall had a store that sold tickets to concerts and other events. Occasionally there would be an event that drew people to wait for hours, sometimes overnight to try to be the first to get tickets. Maybe you’ve done that yourself. It was during one of these ticket sales that I learned a valuable lesson about people.

I received a call on my radio asking me to go to the ticket line for a person who was feeling faint. I had no medical training, but I was representing the mall. It was easy to see that the individual was in stress and feeling faint. The radios we were using had a channel that the local emergency personnel used so we could easily switch to that channel and contact the local police and ambulance dispatcher directly. I never had to use that channel and this might be the first, and only, time.

Many people were requesting that I call for an ambulance to help this individual out. I had to ask a simple question, I had to seek permission, I had to ask, “Do you want me to call an ambulance”? I asked repeatedly and the individual continually responded, “no”. My hands were tied. If I called for an ambulance, then when they responded and she declined medical attention, then I would be personally liable for the bill for the ambulance to respond (and violating mall policy). As long as the individual was able to respond and denied medical attention, I had to honor their wishes, there was nothing I could do to help them, except to pray.

There’s a two-fold message in that:

Sometimes the only thing we can do is to pray

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to enter the Kingdom of God, and when he found out, he walked away disheartened (Mark 10:17-22). We may offer people the Gospel, or if they need help in various ways, and they may say no, and all we can do is pray. There may be times that we can offer assistance anonymously, like financial or material needs, but other than that we can just pray.

We need to share Jesus with those around us, realizing that many will say no to Jesus, even though we can see they need Him, and they may realize that something is missing.

If we have a need, we need to share and make it known, seeking help when offered.

The individual in line had a need and I can’t help but think that they knew they had a need. Why they didn’t want help may have been for many reasons. They may have been embarrassed to have an ambulance crew come to help them, they may not have wanted to lose their place in line, or any number of other reasons.

We can be like that individual in line, I am like that individual in line. We know we have a need, it could be financial, health related, material needs, mended relationships, Jesus, or whatever, but we may to be embarrassed to ask, to prideful to ask, or various other reasons.

Have you said “no” lately when you know you needed help? What’s keeping you from seeking help, or from accepting help when needed?

Was there a time you offered someone assistance and they resisted?