You may have heard about the Australian subway passenger who failed to “mind the gap” this week.
http://www.citynews.ca/2014/08/06/australian-subway-riders-come-to-the-rescue-of-trapped-man
For some reason he was not paying very close attention and got his leg caught in between the subway and the entrance step to the train. He may have ridden this line many times before and took it for granted that he knew the correct way to get on board. He may have also been caught up with viewing his cell phone that his eye and leg coordination got messed up. For whatever the reason, he was stuck!
The amazing feat was how many strangers came to his aid and pushed the subway enough to get him out of his snare. I doubt he knew very many of these people, but he was indebted to their skills. After they finished this group effort, I doubt that they will place a marker as a memorable to that day. Life will just go on. Someone else will need to be helped.
So what does this have to do with ministry? How many ministers do you know (you don’t count, of course!) who fail to mind their gaps. They go along in life and don’t realize what is going on around them and they fall into a trap. Remember that the space between the subway and the entry point was not that huge, but a small glitch can make life miserable.
Of course, the good news is that it doesn’t take a committee or church by-laws to rescue people from harm. One person could not have moved the train away from the trapped leg. Without much thought, a crowd developed and worked in unison to free the man. When people see a need, they work best together and not by themselves. Don’t let that mental gap get past you as you serve others in His name.