A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood

street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for

kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared .

Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the

brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been

thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop.



With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said. 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'



Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help

me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'



Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the

wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh

scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be

okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the

stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push

his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.



It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very

noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side

door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go

through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get

your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts.

Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick

at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

When I read this story, I thought of a much needed message that I heard a year or so ago.  Rev. Jim Raley was at a concert preaching along with the Crabb Family at a local church.  His message was one that I will never forget.  His message was titled "Don't Hide your scars".  I thought about first of all, how we get so busy that we don't pay attention to what God is wanting us to do.  We get so tangled up in the circumstances we are facing that we don't always pay attention to what's going on around us.  God has to sometimes "throw a brick" at us to make us pay attention.  Some kind of obstacle has to occur before we'll just let Him help us.  Over the past couple of weeks, God has had to just grab my attention.  He has been testing me like you would not believe.  He's been my help through it all though. I've learned that when God does help us, we need to share that scar with someone else.  God doesn't take us through trials for us to whimper and complain about them.  He takes us through them so that one, we'll become stronger, and two so that we can help others.  I've heard so many times parents saying to their children, 'learn from our mistakes'.  They share their "testimony" of  what they did or didn't do right to their children and hope that it helps them.  Now, we as Christians should apply that same principle.  When you see a brother or sister going through something that you've been through, don't be afraid to show your scars.  Someone else might need to see them.  That will give them hope that if you made it through that trial that they're going through, then they can too!  Whether it be alchoholism, drugs, pornagraphy, sexual sins, or any other sin, someone else is going through what you've gone through and God can deliver them just like He did for you.    You don't have to go into full details.  You just have to let them know that you've been there before them and God has delivered you from that bondage and encourage them to be their best for God.  Don't EVER be afraid to show your scars!