As I contemplate the characters in the story of the good Samaritan, I am reminded of one very simple truth: We are all living in God’s story. He is the main, recurring character and in one way or another, we are all involved in His story. Misguided or faithful; loving or hateful; gracious or spiteful, we are all God’s beautiful children. Sometimes, we convince ourselves that this is our story; that the children have surpassed the father and created their own, more entertaining, more rewarding story.How can we forget that this is the God who spoke the universe into existence with the power in His voice? The very words He spoke formed our bodies and the breath from His mouth gave us life. Fortunately for us, God did not just stop with this action either. He continued and continues to be the main character as He poured and continues to pour out His love on His children.
So here we stand, with God beckoning us to join Him in His story by completely changing the mindset that we have become all too comfortable in. Luke makes a point in the story of the good Samaritan to say that all three characters (the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan) had one thing in common: They saw the broken, beaten man on the side of the road. We all see needs around us, but many times, we are so caught up in the stories we are writing that we passively choose to not actively be a part of God’s story. God wants us to do more than just see need. He wants us to join Him in providing for His children. God did not intend for us to solely witness great things happen in His story, He wants us to join Him in making them happen.
May you have the eyes to see, and the heart to join God in what He is already doing!
- Brett Flanary, Minister to Students
Habits. We all have them. One author wrote, "Habits are our ability to do more than one thing at a time without thinking about one of them." I’m not sure that definition is perfectly sound with the physiology of the human brain, but it certainly makes practical sense. How else can you drive and do your makeup at the same time? Ha!Okay...so maybe you don’t even wear makeup, but you still have patterns that are so predictable and doable that you don’t even have to think about it. But I wonder what impact this has on our compassion?
Maybe you’ve heard someone gasp, "What were you doing on that side of town? I wouldn’t be caught dead down there. Don’t you know how dangerous it is?" And maybe it is dangerous, and maybe it would require some advance thought to determine the best way to serve in some circumstances, but these questions and statements reveal a pattern that directly influences how we show our compassion. If my habit is to avoid a certain part of town, there has to be a reason. Something about that part of town, or at least the way I have been taught to think about that part of town, created in me the habit of avoidance.
Habits of avoidance are not always geographically determined. Sometimes we just avoid people. And I would be lying through my keyboard if I didn’t admit that I struggle with this also.
What is behind all this? Maybe there’s some fear or painful history. Maybe you were cultured in a time and place where you didn’t have a lot of personal involvement with people of a certain background. Maybe you’re uncomfortable around certain people because you lack familiarity or confidence. Maybe during your growing up years you heard negative things about some kinds of people, or you were simply taught not to mix with them. However it happened “then," these experiences are still affecting how we look and feel toward others.
The Samaritan in Jesus’ story would have most certainly been characterized in nearly any Judean story as the "villain." Biblical commentators and historians have noted for years that, "Jews made it their pattern to avoid contact with Samaritans by traveling the roads around Samaria, which significantly increased the distance of their journey."
But then Jesus, a Jewish man and rabbi, actually makes the Samaritan the hero, over and above priest and the Levite. Somehow the Samaritan matured beyond all the stereotypes, attitudes, and negative feelings in order to help the beaten man on the side of the road. We do not know if this Samaritan felt these feelings from others, or felt them in his own heart toward others. We just know that the reason Jesus used the Samaritan in his story is because the Jews would have characterized the Samaritan as the villain, and Jesus was turning that thinking upside down.
The Samaritan represents us all in some ways. He is the person who is capable of helping others, but was also raised in a social atmosphere that would have excluded Jews from his list of those to help. And he certainly could not depend on any help if the tables had been turned. But he chooses something different than what everyone expected. He chooses active compassion.
What are some habits or patterns in your thoughts and actions that limit the circle of people that might receive active compassion from you? What distinguishes them from others? Is it where they live? Clothing they wear? Gender? Their skin color? Their age? The list could go on for quite some time. But maybe an even more important question might be, what will you do during this 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Compassion to remove those patterns and habits from your life?
- Don McLaughlin
