A while ago, I had to cruise downtown to acquire some records from my local courthouse. Finding parking was a real treat, I found a spot around 15 blocks from where I needed to be. Or maybe I was exactly where I needed to be. You decide.
While walking towards my destination, I came upon a clearing that exposed a small park. The park was in the form of a square with various trees and shrubs, plus four benches, two of which were occupied. Each one had a homeless man in it. The men were seated, looking forward, as if watching a movie at a theater. Only there was no theater screen in front of them, just a busy street. There was a third homeless man digging through a garbage container. He was trying to find some food. As I observed him, I remembered the story of The Good Samaritan.
If you are not familiar with The Good Samaritan, it was a story told by Jesus in reply to the question “and who is my neighbor, teacher?” I have posted Jesus’s response below:
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead with no clothes. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he too passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and looked after him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
This story may not belong to your particular faith, so I encourage you to look past the religious undertones in order to better connect with its message. Personally, I don’t subscribe to any one religion or theology, yet I find this story to be one of the best examples of humanity’s capacity for love. I think, when inspired, each of us has the ability for unconditional love inside of us. Too often though, we are caught up with the small problems in our own lives to notice the larger problems others are facing. I am not condemning anyone, I am guilty of this myself at times. I just want you to know, that no matter how insurmountable you think your problems are, there are others facing even bigger challenges. Two of those people are George and Jerome.
George and Jerome are two of the homeless men that I befriended in that small park. George was the one digging though the trash can. Seeing him dig saddened me, so I went over and introduced myself to him. Then I went over to Jerome, who was sitting on the bench. I also reached out to the third man. Sadly, like half of America’s homeless, he had a mental disability that kept him from understanding me. After talking to both George and Jerome for 5 minutes, I invited them to breakfast. Jerome kind of surprised me with his response. He was a sturdy black man from Haiti with a laid back demeanor and a peaceful vibe. Upon my invitation, he made a request. He asked me to bring the food back to his bench. I was amused by this and told him I did not know what he wanted to order or if the cafe would even have it. I told him that if he wanted some standard breakfast, I would be glad to oblige, but that I would rather have him choose his meal. I was quite persuasive and he agreed that choosing his own meal would be best. A moment later we were off to the cafe.
As soon as the two men walked in, I could see the expressions on the staff’s faces change. Most of the staff looked at the two men with contempt. One of the managers even started coming toward the men to kick them out. Upon seeing this, I pulled them out of his path. The manager gave me a weird look as he passed by. I paid him no attention and started looking at the menu. After my new friends had decided on their meals, I approached the cashier. She was probably the only one with a pleasant disposition. She was smirking, I think she had figured out what was going on. This helped to dissipate some of the negative energy that was being sent our way.
After our orders were taken, we just hung out near the counter. Other cafe customers came and went without ever acknowledging George or Jerome. Even though George was the more “with it” of the two, Jerome had this pleasant aura around him. When Jerome had asked me to bring him back the food, I couldn’t help but smile. He was an interesting character, carrying a clear plastic bag full of rectangular cardboard pieces. Each piece had a colorful border drawn in crayon – Jerome had around 50 pieces in that bag. He said that each piece held an uplifting proverb out of the Bible that helped him get through the tough days. I asked him to show me a couple and found myself inspired from seeing his work. After we got our order, I asked George and Jerome to watch out for one another. I also handed them the meal I had ordered for myself, instructing them to give it to the third man I had left on the bench. I know it was not a long term solution but I’m sure my small gesture made a difference in both their lives, at least for that one day. As I was leaving I asked George and Jerome if I could take a picture of them using my phone. They happily obliged and even agreed to let me post it on the blog.
I shared this story not to show you how saintly or benevolent I am, instead I hope it inspires you to be a good Samaritan when an opportunity presents itself in your life. I believe we are each presented with opportunities every day, but instead of looking deeply at how we can help others, we dismiss the chances we’re given through trivial rationalizations. We mistakenly believe we don’t have the time, money, or resources to help others so we make up excuses because it’s much easier on us. I ask that you change that mentality to one that is open to helping others.
Your opportunity may not be a homeless man. It could present itself in the form of an elderly person that needs a friend. Or a person that lives with a disability. It could even be a child that needs a positive influence in his/her life. You might find this person living in your neighborhood or you may have to seek him/her out by volunteering with different organizations. Or the person could just knock on your door and ask for your assistance.
The source is irrelevant, because every day there will be numerous occasions that will present themselves and you’ll know them when you see them. Just be open to them. It’s up to you to be The Good Samaritan.
This is very touching, God is very proud of you.
When you lend to the poor you lend to the LORD, He will repay you. You may not be religious, but this is His Word, and He is faithful to it.