Knock knock.
Who’s there? Wait.. The knocking comes from the window. I don’t think anyone will jump out from the window. I’m living in third storey. Am I listening it right? I hesitate a bit and I slowly open the curtain of my window. Then I saw a pair of orange eyes staring at me…
Nope, it’s not a horror story. It’s a real story. I’m not sure why it happened, but these days, there’s a yellow bird comes to my window and knock the window a few times,then either he fly again or sometimes just sit there. Until he sees me or my wife then he will fly away. Just in case you are wondering, that bird called “black naped oriole”. I don’t know whether it’s really a “he” or “she” but up to now, But I thought because there’s no egg laying on my window, so I thought it’s a male. Maybe somebody know? please let me know.
It makes me wondering, what could makes him want to come to my window? There are a lot of other windows. Why here? I never open the window, and I never put any bird food nor any bird house. Interesting right? I feel like I have a pet but I don’t need to feed him or take care of him. He’ll just come by now and then. My mind imagine things like this, what if this bird can talk and he needs somebody to talk to? What if he got lost and separated from his family? I know it’s a crazy idea, but it made me thinking, what if there’s really somebody that need help and he comes to me? It might be a stranger or somebody I know and he just need help from me? Or why he choose me?
We might encounter this kind of situation in life. I’m sure you are not superman or superwoman that can help everybody, but there might be times when there is somebody that really need your help. These are some tips that I can think off to be ready to help.
1. Look at your surrounding
Unless you are living in a mountain, the probability of meeting with another person is very high. Might as well, once in a (short) while take notice of your surrounding. When you are commuting by public transport, it could be that somebody else need a seat more than you. If you are younger than that person, why not try to offer your seat? You won’t notice this if you look at your gadgets or book all the time. Do a random kindness.
2. Offer help if needed
I’m still struggling with this. I’m sure that I’m not superman and I know the action required will not require any super power. There’s a time when I saw a mother carrying her baby on her arm and no one else with her. The baby seems sleeping and they are looking for a taxi. It was in a broad daylight and the sun was hot even though it’s still about 9 in the morning. I look at them for a short while and I decided to just walk away because I’m late to go to office. I turned back and saw the mother wave using the feet to a taxi. No one look at that and no one else is helping them. I was almost intended to walk back when a taxi stop in front of her and pick her up. If you look at your gadget, you won’t feel bad of this incident because you didn’t see it. But what if it happens to you? You really need help but too shy to ask somebody, end up no one is helping you. Who do you blame? Yourself or others? If you think to blame anyone, it shows that we have becoming too individualistic. Let us stop being that way.
3. Open for helping others
I know you must have busy schedule. Being in this current age, requires us to move fast from one place to another, to complete our tasks as soon as possible. Doing an errand for another person will delay your completion of your assignments. Right? I think that there’s a time when you can do the errand. Of course if everyone you met ask for a favour from you, that will be too much. And you won’t be able to accomplish what you need to do. But in your daily life, what are the chance of someone ask for your help? For my case, it’s very rarely. it maybe once in a year. It’s pretty slim, right? but when the opportunity comes, take it. There is time when I failed. And I just be reminded that, like you, I’m a social being. We can make the world a better place by doing our part. It doesn’t mean that you need to help everyone you meet. Help that one person that you encounter and really need help.
4. Open to be help by others.
Again, we are not superman. Sometime, we are in the other side of the coin. Ask help from others. It might show weakness, you might say, but I feel that this is life. By accepting help, I feel blessed by the help and I can face the world again. We live in a society for a lot of reason, and this is one of them. To help each other. You might be really good at this. You are very open to help others, but you don’t want to be help. We need both sides because that what makes us as a human. Some people just like to be help and doesn’t want to help, that is bad also. By doing this, we give chance for other people to practice too. and on another time, it’s our turn to help. It might not be repaying to the same person, and that’s okay.
Sometime somebody will come in your way. Look around and don’t walk away. I did my mistake and I’ll do better in the future. There is more important things in life other than doing what we need to do. It might be different from city to city, but it’s still the same. we still meet another people. Let us be the agent of blessing wherever we are, even when no one is looking.
A closing note, do you still remember about the bird that I mentioned earlier? now I feel really like having a pet. it’s been 3 days now, he sleep on my window. I’m not sure why.
What is your experience in helping or be helped by somebody? How do you feel?
Hebrews 13: 2 – “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”