Considering Others

During Hurricane Harvey, Houston police officer Norberto Ramon worked with the Lake Patrol division and helped rescue more than 1,500 people.  Despite having advanced colon cancer, Officer Ramon stopped his treatments so he could fill in for an officer on the police boat patrol. He worked nonstop for three days.  When questioned about his response, Officer Ramon replied, “My main concern was to help the citizens.  Nothing else was on my mind.  I didn’t worry about me or anything.”  He later commented, “I want to get my message out that just because you have been diagnosed with a terminally ill disease doesn’t mean you have to stop living.”  Officer Norberto Ramon died on June 15, 2018, at the age of 56.  Ramon’s brother, Alex Ramon, Jr. said, “He was a warrior, he fought a good fight.  In dying, my brother has raised the bar for us when it comes to ethics in working and, of course, in living our lives.”

Tammy Waddell has spent decades teaching at Cumming Elementary, Haw Creek Elementary, and Sawnee Elementary in the Forsyth County School District in Georgia.  In 2003, Waddell was named Elementary Teacher of the Year for the school district.  Due to illness, Tammy recently retired from her teaching position.  Realizing that the end of her life was near, Waddell asked that in lieu of flowers, people consider filling backpacks with school supplies for her funeral.  Tammy passed away on June 9, 2018.  At her service on June 12, dozens of backpacks, full of school supplies, lined the aisles and covered the front of the church.  The backpacks will be distributed to the students with the most needs through Project Connect.  Teachers will visit the students in their home to present the backpack.

The second week in June, Ty Koehn and his childhood friend, Jack Kocon, played on opposing teams for a state playoff baseball game.  The last play of the game, Koehn struck out his friend and won the game for Mounds View High School.  Ty’s team was now headed to play in the state playoffs.  As the catcher ran to the mound to join the rest of the team and congratulate the pitcher, Ty walked past him towards home plate and went to give his friend a big hug before celebrating with his team.  Koehn stated, “I knew I had to say something.  Our friendship is more important than just the silly outcome of a game.  I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated.”  “I told I loved him and he’s my brother and our friendship will always last longer than this silly game and its outcome.”  Coach Mark Downey responded, “He’s (Ty Koehn) a tremendous competitor, but as you saw, he understands there is a bigger picture and friendship really matters.”  When interviewed, Kocon said that it was “a moment I will never forget.  I was just thinking in 20 years I’m not gonna remember the score of that game.  But I’m gonna remember him coming up to me after that and just kind of being there for me when I needed someone.”

And every day we too have the opportunity to make a difference by considering others.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24

You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

James 2:24

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

James 3:17