By Jamin Goecker, RTF Staff

I’m thankful for people who take time out of their day to help strangers.

My older brother, I, and a friend were flying to Alaska—a long way from Texas. None of us had flown before. It felt like a touchdown when we punctured through the check-in, security, and boarded our plane.

I enjoyed the rush of blood that went to my head as the plane sped down the runway and lifted into the air. Earth sped beneath us far below, and I watched it from inside the stuffy cockpit.

Our flight was late taking off. Our next flight left without us. We exited our plane and tried getting onto another flight.

No luck.

The employee said we’d missed our flight. He didn’t seem interested in assisting us. Then the flight attendant from our previous flight walked by, sized up our situation, marched to the guy’s desk, and aggressively persuaded him to help.

The employee scowled, hit some keys on his computer, and gave us a new flight number. The attendant pointed us in the right direction and we made our new flight with a few minutes to spare.

What would’ve happened if the attendant didn’t help us? I don’t know. But I do know her willingness to help saved us a lot of trouble.

Our world doesn’t have enough of those types of people.

From Suzie: Look around you this Christmas season. Who needs help? Who needs to be encouraged? Who needs to join your family for dinner because their family is struggling or because they can’t stop fighting? What about that cash you’ve been saving (or your parents have set aside for you ) for that Wii or an Iphone? Is there someone who might not receive a gift? Are you willing to wait a little longer to bless someone else?

Who needs you to stop right where you are and to help?

Jamin Goecker is a writer who enjoys paintball, running, lifting weights, roller coasters, and drawing every now and then. He’s finishing up high school and debating what he should do with his life. You can connect with him at his blog.