The Missing Piece of the Picture

The week before Christmas I got stuck in traffic.  There is nothing unusual about getting stuck in traffic during the holidays or the drive home from work, but this traffic slow down had a lasting effect on me.  Here is what I saw and why it stayed with me:

The first thing I saw over the cars in front of me where the flashing lights of an ambulance in the midst of the accident scene, which immediately prompted prayer for anyone with possible injuries.  The two cop cars blocking the lane I was in came into view next.  As I passed the cop cars, I spied a group of three teenagers that seemed most out of place with the rest of the scene.  They huddled together holding an iPhone out in front of them with "We're so happy to be here together" smiles taking a picture.  Dumbfounded, I continued to inch forward looking for an answer to the scene unfolding before me.  The cops and paramedics were huddled around the ambulance some 20 feet away from the teenagers not paying attention to them.  On the other side of the ambulance, was the rest of the story.  A man in his thirties stood with a look of despair on the other side of the ambulance.  Just past him was a silver Mercedes C-class with no apparent damage and a 90's model Buick LeSabre with damage to the front end.

I would love at this point to make a heap of assumptions about who is at fault and what actually happened, but I don't really need to in order to be concerned about what I saw.  No matter who is at fault, I am bothered that this group of teenagers who were so blissfully calloused to the fact that someone could have been seriously injured.  I am bothered that they did not seem to care that someone's, possibly including theirs, property was damaged and that it costs time and money to have it repaired.  What exactly are they going to do with that photo? Post it on Facebook with the caption, "And this is us at the scene of the accident. Aren't we so cute? Our hair didn't even get messed up." 

My prayer that day changed from requests to sustain life to asking God to open the eyes of these teenagers to others around them and give them a genuine concern for others.  As an aunt, a youth leader and a general role model to anyone I encounter, I pray that this prayer would be true in my life first and foremost.  I have a feeling that this is what was the greatest missing piece in this picture.  Be a role model of caring for those you know and those you don't know.