In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in 2005, there were floods of people coming to Little Rock from down south. People were looking for a place to stay. Local hotels were full. People were opening up their homes to strangers. We considered doing the same. We’d just moved back from Alabama and into our new house, literally, a few weeks before the hurricane hit. We had two bedrooms upstairs, where we could put a family up for however long they needed, with their own bathroom. Our kids could temporarily sleep downstairs in our room. But we didn’t. We helped in various ways, including donations of food, clothing, furniture and money. But we never invited anyone to stay in our home.

Nearly two years later, I don’t really remember why we chose not to do so. Having just moved, I suspect we got wrapped up in our own lives and duties, and conveniently forgot about it. And even if we didn’t, we probably found several ways to rationalize why we couldn’t or shouldn’t at that time.

That memory of an opportunity lost came to mind recently when I saw this clip from The Andy Griffith Show. Opie asks Andy and Aunt Bea some tough questions about why they can’t help a neighbor who is about to be evicted and will be without a home. Andy and Bea attempt to justify why they aren’t the ones who to come to his aid, but Opie presses on. Eventually they realize that they have no good reason for not helping him.

Sometimes it’s inconvenient to be Jesus to those around us. It’s usually easier to find a way around it. I guess sometimes we need an Opie there to show us the way.