I ordered an Uber yesterday to go to the oncologist. It was the appointment where I was going to find out if the chemo had worked, or if the cancer had spread.
I was a nervous wreck. My hands were shaking so badly I dropped my phone twice getting into the car.
My driver was an older gentleman named Tariq. His dashboard had a little wooden bead bracelet resting on it. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, noticing my bald head from the chemo beneath my beanie, and the silent tears streaming down my face.
“Tough day?” Tariq asked gently.
“Terrifying day,” I admitted, my voice cracking.
Tariq didn’t turn on the radio. He didn’t make small talk. He just nodded. When we pulled up to the massive hospital complex, I went to open the door, but he stopped me.
“How long will your appointment take?” he asked.
“Maybe an hour. Why?”
“I am turning off my app,” Tariq said, shifting his car into park. “I will be right here in this spot when you come out. You should not have to wait on a curb alone today, no matter the news.” Fifty-five minutes later, I walked out of those double doors with the best news of my life: complete remission.
And true to his word, Tariq was parked in the exact same spot. When I gave him a thumbs up through the windshield, he actually got out of the car and gave me the biggest, tightest hug. He smelled like peppermint and joy.
A stranger. A man who gets paid per ride. He gave up his wages just to be a safety net for a scared girl. Kindness is still so incredibly real.
Thanks to #inspiration
My Commentary:
This story is a beautiful reminder that God’s love often arrives through ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of kindness.
Tarig was not a doctor. He could not change the diagnosis. He could not remove the fear or guarantee a good outcome. But he did something just as important: he refused to let a frightened person face a difficult moment alone. He noticed the woman’s bald head beneath her beanie.
When your eyes see what Jesus saw, you see what compassion looks like. It is not always about solving problems. Often, it is simply about presence. When someone is afraid, grieving, or uncertain, one of the greatest gifts we can offer is to stay near and remind them that they are not alone.
The image of Tarig waiting in the parking lot is especially powerful. He gave up time, wages, and convenience for a stranger he would likely never see again. There was no reward, no recognition, and no publicity. He acted purely out of kindness. That kind of generosity reflects the heart of Christ, who constantly stopped for people others overlooked and cared for those carrying heavy burdens.
What makes the story even more touching is that Tarig noticed what many people might have missed. He saw not just a passenger, but a frightened human being. He saw the tears, the trembling hands, and the fear hidden behind brave words. Compassion begins with noticing.
In the Gospel, Jesus often asked simple questions: “What do you want me to do for you?” or “Why are you afraid?” He saw people. He listened. He entered their suffering. In a small but meaningful way, Tarig did the same.
The woman says she needed a safety net for a scared girl. We all need that at times. Life brings moments when we are vulnerable, uncertain, and afraid. In those moments, God often sends help not through miracles that part the heavens, but through ordinary people willing to sit in the parking lot and wait.
The story reminds us that kindness is not weakness. It is strength. It is love in action.
And perhaps that is why such moments feel sacred. They give us a glimpse of a God who is always waiting for us, always present, and always saying, “You do not have to face this alone.”
Think of a time when someone did for YOU what Tarig did for the woman with cancer.
THE LIGHT OF GOD’S LOVE WILL PIERCE EVEN THE DARKEST NIGHT!
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