A Tale of Two Citizens

Tragic events have a way of bringing out either the best or worst in people. Like many of you I watched the coverage of Hurricane Florence, and while it was a big storm, I was glad to see that it wasn’t as bad as we were told it would be, at least here in the Upstate. I saw two news stories run back to back that jumped out at me, and I don’t know if it was a coincidence or if we were supposed to get the subtle message.

The first story was about looting. Like with any tragedy, lowlifes come out of the woodwork to steal. A Family Dollar was broken into, and countless people were brazenly walking in and out with backpacks and trash bags filled with things they were stealing. It really is pathetic that some peoples’ first reaction to a hurricane is to grab things off of shelves; it also says a lot about their lack of concern for the people who own the store, and how much money they will lose because selfish people chose to stuff Hefty bags with toiletries and Tostitos.

The next story showed volunteers risking their lives to evacuate people in the path of Florence. An EMS crew from Nebraska left home to evacuate senior citizens from nursing homes, and local crews were making daring helicopter rescues to get people to higher ground. As soon as that segment ended, the anchor said so many people were emailing questions about how they could help, so a number was provided so that viewers can donate to the American Red Cross.

The juxtaposition could not have been starker. On one hand are people stealing items that cost a dollar apiece, and on the other hand are people giving away their own money to help people they don’t know; others were away from home risking life and limb to save people they have never met. Tragic events really do bring out the best and worst in people.

What if those news stories had been part of a quiz? Imagine if we were told one group was composed of Christians and one group was composed of atheists. Which group was acting more Christ like? A simple reading of the New Testament tells us the second group was behaving in a more Christian manner (this is not to stay Christians do not steal, or that atheists do not give to charity).

Jesus said the way to spot His followers is by their conduct, and more specifically, by their love: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).” It doesn’t just happen during tragedies. If you are a follower of Jesus, make sure your conduct identifies you as such.