Houses at Night

Maybe it's because I'm A.D.D. (had to put the periods in because it looked like I was trying to scream the word 'add' to you.) or something, I really don't know, but when I'm driving, I look at stuff.  

Sure, I watch the road and avoid pot holes and other cars, but I like to see what's around me, what's going on, and how many dead animals there are on the side of the road.  

But there's something about being out at night...you know...when you're out really late on into the early morning.  There's little traffic, everything seems quiet, everything is just...asleep.  

A couple of weeks ago as I was driving home from the Cincinnati Airport at 4AM, my mind began to wonder as I drove down the interstate passing hundreds of houses spread along the road.  I started thinking, what is it like in those homes?  Is it a happy place?  Is a place of torment and frustration?  Is it full of love or full of torment and hurt?  

These questions don't hit me at day, but only at night, when the lights are off, or maybe a bathroom light is on.  And I don't know why, but my heart went out to all of these houses I passed and I kept thinking, I hope everyone is ok in there.  

There's not much I can do for the people in the houses I passed I suppose, I guess technically I could drive back up there during the day, ring the door bell, and ask whoever answers if they are ok.  Only to hear some little kid scream "STRANGER DANGER" and send some huge dog with equally huge teeth after me.  But that's not logical I suppose.

What is logical, is for me to check and make sure my house is ok, and to check the people around me that I love, that their houses are ok.  Ask my neighbors and check and see if their houses are ok, hopefully inspiring and training others to do the same. 

One thing my personality lacked growing up was a word called 'compassion' coupled with the words 'for others.'  Just not something I developed, but now that I've experienced it, both toward me and me to others, it's interesting.  

Interesting because it hurts when you find hurt, it's awesome when you come across joy, it's humbling when it's directed toward you, encouraging by love, and discouraging by the pain.  Many times, all of this happens all at once, which makes us a little crazy.  

Compassion, it is worth us giving up our comfort to show, to give, to receive.  It's worth us taking an interest in others, to see if they are ok.  It's worth our time, energy, and it's worth our stress levels.  Compassion was shown to us through Christ, now it's our turn to show it to others through our lives.