7 Jun, 2011
Policy Over People?
Tragically, last week, a 50 year old man died in the cold water of the San Francisco Bay while a crowd of witnesses, which included firemen and the Coast Guard, stood by and did nothing. According to Alameda officials, rescue crews were bound by a policy that would not allow them to help the, apparently, suicidal man. It was a civilian by-stander that ultimately pulled the man's lifeless body from the icy water.
Interim Fire Chief Mike D'Orazi called Monday's incident troubling and said he directed staff to write a new policy that would allow commanders at the scene to attempt a water rescue in Alabmeda, a city of about 75,000 people across the bay from San Francisco.
The previous policy was implemented after budget cuts forced the department to discontinue water rescue training and stop maintaining wetsuits and other rescue gear, D'Orazi said.
"The incident yesterday was deeply regrettable," he said. "But I can also see it from our firefighters' perspective. Theyr'e standing there wanting to do something, but they are handcuffed by policy at that point."
Fire crews and police watched as the man . . . stood up to his neck off Crown Memorial State Beach, witnesses told the television. Perry Smith, another witness, said the man was visible from the shore and was looking at people.
(Picture courtesy of Google Images, Story courtesy of Yahoo News and the AP - read the full story here.)
Matthew 12:9-14
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
What does today's story and God's Story scripture teach us about God's policy?
While the Pharisees did their best to silence Jesus and his ministry, their policies and traditions could not hold him back. See, God is in the business of loving people; His policy is people, and His love and concern for His children are bottom-line. Jesus' decision to heal the crippled man was not showing a lack of concern for the law, rather an example of his extreme love for others.
How can I connect today's story and God's Story scripture to my life?
Are there times in your life that you get so focused on the "policy" that you forget about the people? Maybe it's not so much about rules and regulations, but perhaps you're just task oriented - when you begin to focus on the task at hand, you forget all about the people you run over/ignore/offend/look past . . . (you fill in the blank) along the way.
Ask God to change your heart and make it more like his. Pray for a hightened sensitivity to others and to always do the right thing in any given situation. Keep reading scripture and abiding; as you get to know the Word and continue to let the Holy Spirit guide you, you'll be amazed at how He'll use you!
How can I connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and my story to others?
Tell others about today's story and talk about what you (or they) would've done if you'd been in the crowd that day, on the shore of the bay. Would you have acted any differently than the witnesses that were there? Why? Talk to them about what Jesus did when he healed the man on the Sabbath.
Pray and ask God to give you a tender heart and sensitive eyes to really see those He brings into your world every day. Then pray that He would give you a boldness to reach out and help those you see who need it, regardless of your fear or any policy that might get in the way.
Of course, God doesn't want us to go around behaving without any regard for the law (see Romans 3:31), but he also doesn't want us hiding behind it. Look for ways to help others and, as you're doing so, pray and trust that God will put you in the right place at the right times.
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