We've all had experiences where we had a feeling that we should do or say something without knowing why. As an adult, we feel we need a logical reason to act on these impressions. Sometimes we discover the why later ... sometimes we don't. Or we may ignore the feeling and come to regret ignoring our gut.
For one little boy and his grandmother, heeding that intuition led to saving a life.
What did Karter see?
Six-year-old Karter Thorpe and his grandmother, Carolyn Cook, were driving through a parking lot when Thorpe noticed a man lying on the ground, according to a news article. He told his grandmother to turn around several times before she finally did with the intent to prove him wrong. Like any grandmother, Cook thought her grandson's imagination was just running wild.
But Thorpe was right. "He was gasping for air," Cook said about the man in need. She then dialed 911 while another unidentified woman performed CPR on the man until emergency responders arrived to take him to the hospital.
Karter saved that man's life
According to CBS, the man's family (who wish to remain anonymous) reached out to Cook via Facebook about a week later and told her he had had a heart attack. The man would likely have died without their intervention. They've called Karter Thorpe their family's 'Little Angel' and are incredibly grateful Cook listened to her grandson.
"I still get weepy. I'm just thankful. Thankful that God put me in that parking lot when he did," said Cook. "[Karter] would not take no for answer, he was determined and I'm glad he was."
Are you listening to your children?
Children are often a bit more sensitive to these gut feelings. Maybe it's because the stress and busyness of life aren't clouding their thoughts. We need to be open to listening more to our children. Pledge to follow up on their concerns, even if it seems like an inconvenience.
How do you know when to listen to a child's requests? Or even your own inner voice? A good rule to follow is when you have a thought or feeling to do something (no matter how odd it seems) do it! You never know who may have been praying for a small act of kindness or a big act of service. Not only could you save a life, you could also change a life for the better. The life that's changed may even be yours.