When I was about 12 years old our neighbor’s dog got hit by a car in front of our house. I did not see the car that hit him, but I noticed the dog lying in the road shortly after it must have happened. I ran to the wounded animal that was still alive, and picked him up. When I bent over to pick the dog up I lowered my head to hug him and give him some assurance that I was there to help.

Because he was injured, the dog bit me and his canine tooth ripped the lower part of my ear. I was bleeding and hurting but I did not drop him. I was even weeping for the dog’s pain, not the pain that he had caused me. I put a blanket in a box then lovingly put him in it and took him to his owner. It took a while, but my ear healed up and was as good as it ever was.

We often deal with people that are wounded just like that neighbor’s dog. Most people will run to help someone that is really hurting and so long as those hurting people react in the way we think they should, we will comfort and assure them. However, there are times that hurting people bite you.

They lash out and say hurting things and do hurtful things to themselves and others. These hurting people also have the tendency to run from what they should run to. They will build walls between themselves and those who really do care. When this happens, how do we react? Do we feel that it is our obligation to tell them how messed up they are and what they must do to straighten up. If they bit us, do we drop them?

These and other life questions will be addressed Sunday morning as “The Gathering Place Family” meets at 240 Courthouse Parkway in Washington C.H. for Bible Study at 9:30 and in the lobby at 10 a.m. for our Pre-Service Connection where we enjoy coffee, juice and donuts. Our Worship Service and Children’s Church then begins at 10:30. Come at 7 p.m. and be part of our Wednesday night Bible Study and Children’s Ministry.