The Opossum

I was working security at Baylor School one night in 2007. Well, I wasn’t really working, but I was there trading time for money. It’s a private high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee and it was a pretty high profile post for the fact that it’s such a fancy place and everyone affiliated with Baylor seems to be extremely wealthy. At least according to society’s terms. This particular night, as I walked out of the guard house to greet “smile and wave” someone who was entering into the campus, I noticed a baby possum began to cross the driveway in the path of the incoming vehicle. I quickly motioned for the vehicle to stop so that the little critter to get across the road to safety. The driver of the vehicle looked at me as if I was doing something wrong and was hindering them. After the possum finally got across the road, I motioned for the vehicle to proceed down its original path as I smiled and waved somewhat sarcastically. I then noticed that the possum stood still from all the lights and commotion. I took a glove out of my work bag, put it on, and carefully picked the little fella up. I carried him over and put him in the back of my truck. I called a couple of people and asked them about a possum’s diet. I was informed that possums eat about anything. I warmed up some teriyaki chicken and rice I had left over from the Japanese restaurant earlier that day. I took some of the chicken and a piece of a cookie and left it for him to eat. He was really scared at first but after a few minutes, he took the chicken and the cookie and ate it. It was an awesome thing to watch because it honestly looked as if he was happy. After he ate, I picked him up and carried him to what I thought might be more of a safe place for him and let him go.

I began to think about what had just happened a little while later. I thought about all the people in the world who are wondering around in the darkness. Some of these people seem to be in the path of danger. This danger could be anything from an addiction to something harmful, depression, living with no positive guidance or direction, and an array of many destructive lifestyles. These people need to be gently “picked up and loved” by someone who cares. Their needs must be met, even if it seems to hinder or disturb those around us who don’t understand the mission and are only concerned with themselves. Negative bystanders need to be offended for their own good. This is the life that Jesus Christ lived and unfortunately not the life that most of your religious church goers are living. Read 2 Cor. 5. Look around you for those who are hurting or scared. Don’t do “nothing”. Do something.