Flashing Lights of Mercy

Jesus wore many hats during His time on earth—teacher, healer, servant, Savior. Some roles belonged only to Him, but others He hands to us as His followers. One of those? Being His E.M.T.—an Emergency Minister of Tenderness.

Think about what EMTs do. Sirens blaring, lights flashing, they race toward the wreckage. They don’t run from the chaos—they lean in. They stabilize the hurting, lift up the fallen, and rush people toward the care that can truly save them.

That’s our calling too. The world around us has crashed hard—broken hearts, fractured families, wounded souls. As God’s EMTs, we respond with compassion. We show up at the scene of pain, kneel down beside the hurting, and through prayer and presence, carry them to Jesus—the Great Physician.

We may not have ambulances or sirens, but we do have something far more powerful: the compassion of a caring God. Compassion is the flashing light that cuts through the darkness. Compassion is the stretcher that carries the weak. Compassion is the vehicle that transports people to hope.

Too often, we treat church like a hospital waiting room, hoping the hurting will come to us. But hospitals don’t save lives without EMTs. We can’t just sit inside singing hymns of comfort. We’ve got to get in the ambulance, hit the streets, and find the lost, the least, and the lonely.

One follower of Jesus once admitted, “Sometimes I want to ask God why He allows suffering and injustice when He could do something about it.”

The reply came back sharp: “Why don’t you ask Him?”

 “Because I’m afraid He might ask me the same question.”

That’s the mirror we face. We pray for God to move, while compassion waits for us to move. We picture compassion overseas—starving children, disaster zones—and yes, we should care deeply there. But compassion doesn’t only live across an ocean. It lives across the street. In your office. In your school. In your family.

Here’s the truth: everyone you meet is in need of compassion. Behind every polished smile is a quiet struggle. Behind every loud laugh is a hidden wound. Behind every ordinary day is someone barely hanging on.

So put on your EMT hat. Fire up the ambulance. Step into the chaos. Carry compassion where it’s needed most.

Because compassion is more than a feeling—it’s the road God paves to healing.