A woman recently posted this photo on Facebook, describing an incident she witnessed on the train ride home. In it, she explains that people scattered when they saw a man acting erratically after boarding the train — except one man who had a different idea. Read her post below.
I was sitting at the window seat of the train, headed home after a long day’s work. The man on the right came and plopped down next to me. He was annoyingly invading all of the personal space I was trying to have. This irritated me to the point that I firmly, yet gently, elbowed him a few times to get him out of my way. Because his back was to me, I didn’t realize that he was having some sort of mental breakdown until everyone else started moving away from him. He began to sit up and talk loudly.
There I was stuck by the window, unable to move. All the other passengers were looking at me like ‘Dang, what are you gonna do?’ Only thinking of myself, I quickly jumped over the back of the seat and moved away from him.
Shortly thereafter, the man on the left calmly walked up to the guy and spoke with him. He asked him his name and if he was high. The guy said his name and nodded ‘yes’ through tears and ramblings. The man then gently touched him and began to pray. Not loudly or forcefully, but with boldness and fervor. Everyone on the train stood and watched quietly. There was this amazing peace that filled the space.
In that moment, I knew that God was in the midst and I could see love being poured into the man. I was immediately encouraged by what I was witnessing, but also convicted of my own selfish motives to not be bothered. That’s not to say that safety shouldn’t be a concern, but it is to say that we sometimes have to take a deeper look. How often do we try to escape from those we deem unsafe or a nuisance, when they are the ones who need Jesus the most.
Thousands of people that were touched by this post have shared it on Facebook. With all the negative news in the world, an act of faith from a stranger on the train is worth all the attention it can get. Let’s keep it going.
Like and pass this along to put more stories like this out in the world!
