A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
LUKE 10:30
In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus goes on to say that a priest and then a Levite passed by the injured man, but did nothing to help him. Then a Samaritan man came by. Though the Jews and the Samaritans were not friendly to one another, he helped the man, bandaged his wounds, and carried him on a donkey to an inn to rest and heal. He paid for the man’s care and promised to reimburse the innkeeper for any additional expenses.
So why didn’t the priest or the Levite stop to help? Maybe they were thinking “but God” thoughts like these: “This is way too big for me. I’m not strong enough to lift this fellow. I can’t carry him. I need to stay focused on what I already know God wants me to do.”
It’s understandable — right? We see a rise in teen pregnancy, but we think: “What do I know about teenagers anyway? How could I ever help them when I can’t even keep up with my own responsibilities, let alone find homes or resources for teen moms and their babies?”
We see a TV commercial highlighting the plight of starving children in Africa and wonder, “What difference could I possibly make on the other side of the world? I’m just trying to keep my own kids on track!”
How often we pray for God to use us for his purpose — and then when he interrupts our lives to answer our prayer, we list all our inadequacies. I protested, “How can I alone reach twenty-seven million people victimized by human trafficking?” But all along, God was simply asking, “Will you cross the street and reach out to one?”
He does not ask us to cross the street because we actually have the capacity in and of ourselves to rescue hurting people. He asks because he does.
He does not ask, “Are you capable?” He asks, “Are you willing?”
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
Are you willing to stop and cross the street to help someone else today?