Cup of Cold Water

“...Where even a cup of cold water is given in My name, I am there”

Last Saturday, my day started some where around 3 am. And took me on a journey across the country with 65 other soldiers. After the formalities came some serious circumstance. We were already pushing a time limit to the closest minute, and thirty dreary eyed and groggy soldiers loaded on a bus, became stranded when the bus ran out of the will to run. As we were stranded on the side of I30 just east of 820 we began to wait. When the sun crept into the bus the soldiers began to spill out on to the hillside facing the freeway trying to catch a breeze and some fresh air. The temperature wasn't unbearable but by no means was it comfortable. The sun was shining and there was very little shade.

After enduring nearly an hour of passer byes, wavers and honkers, there was a truck nearly a quarter mile from where we were sitting, cruising towards us on the freeway with his right blinker blinking as the driver slowly eased on his break in preparation to pull over.

He was an electrician, he wasn't very tall, dark skin and muscular. His white shirt didn't have any sleeves on it and his shorts were well worn. He didn't say much, he simply opened the tailgate and said “Would you like some cold water”. He had a box with a liner and 3 cases of water and some ice that he felt we could use. He shook a few hands as the soldiers unloaded the cargo and he left. And with that a long wait just got a little more bearable.

The truth of the matter is that we would have been alright whether this man had stopped or not but he didn't stop to see IF we are all okay, he stopped to see that we STAYED okay.

So as we each go through our days I encourage all of us to pay attention to the “uniforms” that people wear. Whether it's a mother with little ones following her into the grocery store that may need a door held for just a little longer or someone stuck in a situation where a simple cup of cold water can make a bad situation more bearable, lets remember to take the time to offer what “water” we can to those that we encounter.