From “Reviving the Golden Rule: How the Ancient Ethic of Neighbor Love Can Heal the World” by Andrew DeCort
After the session ended, Hope’s director, Belay, kindly offered to drive me to my next appointment. But as we crossed Addis, we heard a child wailing on the side of the road. Belay immediately pulled his car over, got out, and went to her.
I was struck by the fact that this little girl was sitting directly in front of one of the largest churches in Addis Ababa. Hundreds of Christians were streaming in and out of the church. But no one stopped to help this weeping child. It seems that normalized othering had made her invisible and inaudible.
But Belay heard her voice from his car as he drove by. He pulled over and rushed to see what she needed. Belay wasn’t a member of the church or its denomination. But as an orphan himself, he saw these “others” as his neighbors – as intimately connected to him and fully worthy of love.
When he got back to the car, Belay had the little girl with him. He said to me, “Andrew, I need to practice what you preached.” He asked me to give her my seat, and he took her to the hospital. It turns out that she had an open head wound like Eyob did. Thankfully, the doctor was able to treat her wound, and a follow-up appointment was scheduled to make sure she healed properly.
This little girl’s life was saved, but why? Because a complete stranger heard her cry as the cry of his neighbor. So, while hundreds of other Christians streamed in and out of church as if she didn’t exist, he pulled over and helped her.