Would I have had the Thought, thoughts…

I saw this post on Facebook and it was so poignant to me. Simultaneously my eyes stung with tears while my conscience was stung as well.

Moms in Poland left their prams, carriages, and strollers at rail stations for mamas from Ukraine. These mamas fled holding their babies. Can you even imagine the ache in your arms carrying your baby through all of the trauma, fear, and miles along the way. Alone and scared.

And you arrive to a waiting pram.

I have no words. And as inspired as I am by this photo, I have to admit that there is also a tinge of guilt this brings with it.

Because I don’t know if I would have left my pram.

There I said it.

It’s not a selfish thought, about the money, although some of these look to be pretty high end prams.

It’s rather the fact that I wonder if in the same situation, I would have even thought to do something like that. Would I have thought of this basic need of other mothers? Would I have thought of the others who may take my pram, using it for their own personal gain rather than the intended party? Would I have thought about how strange I would look, leaving my stroller behind in the rail station, hoping that another mother might use it, but feeling that I looked foolish or simple?

It’s not just about the stroller and it’s not even about my patriotism or my declining internal definition of citizenship. It’s about the deeper issue of how I walk out my christian life. For too many times I fail to help for in fear of what others may think of me.

Too many times I maybe would think of the financial implications of my giving. Or the memories an earthly object contains in my mind, as if those could be anything but fleeting compared to the eternal benefits.

Sometimes I become snarky with assumption. My mind fills itself with the doubts that anyone would even care, the thoughts that someone would take it to make money, the ideas that anyone could just take the stroller without it going to its intended recipient.

These are thoughts of a low view point.

I cling with tightly waded fists to the gifts I am to just finger wisp hold. When did I forget that the God of the universe has a plan that could never be interfered with by a lowly man or foolish, foolish woman?

So I use the stroller stand as a symbol of hope but also as a reminder of my need for the cross. My need to open my palms and let my posessions and my gifts go to the ones who need them the most. Those in pain, in turmoil, in trauma. To those who need Christ’s love shown to them, and need the reminder that just a stroller may be just the thing they need most in this world today.