Samaritans on the Loose

Oh no! We were ten miles away from the airport when the battery light on the car started to flash. We literally coasted into a gas station directly across from the airport before it died completely.

For the next two hours a man my husband met at the gas pump and his family (husband, wife, son, and cousin) stuck by our side—in the cold, icy rain—trying to help us. It soon became obvious we would have to get towed seventy miles back to our mechanic’s garage. But rather than leaving us, the family insisted on staying until the tow truck arrived. So there, in the warmth of their running car, we waited and exchanged stories. All I could think of was how do they have the time to do this? We’re strangers, we barely speak the same language (they spoke little English), yet here they are showing us such kindness.

I’ve thought a lot about the parable of the Good Samaritan since that night…of the priest and Levite who passed by the man who had been robbed, beaten, and left on the road to die. Life was about them. They had places to go and people to see. I bet they were busy. I bet their lives were full of sentences with no commas, too full to be interrupted. Probably not a lot different from mine.

Not so, though, with the Samaritan. And not so with these dear folks. Because of the time they took to encourage us on that cold wintery night, our lives were touched. Changed. Challenged…to pass on encouragement like we received from those Samaritans on the loose.

Father, forgive us for packing our lives so full that we don’t take time to slow down and encourage other people. Please help us be more sensitive and ready to respond.

Throughout the Day: Take time to consider one person you can encourage today. Then do it!