The Good Samaritan

    Today at bible study our leader posed a question to us. How many times in the past year have we done little acts of kindeness? Our discussion was on Luke 10-"The Good Samaritan".  If we do little things daily then when we are faced with something bigger, we will be ready to be of service. This week I can only think of one thing. I asked a child who was sitting staring at his test what was wrong. All the other kids were done and he hadn't even started. He started to cry. Then he admitted that he hadn't slept the night before. I probed some more and discovered he got to school too late for breakfast so he hadn't eaten anything that morning and was hungry too. I took this child to the counselor's office and she gave him a granola bar. I know in this case calling home would probably do nothing, but she suggested that we try. I don't usually do that with a student and I felt good that at least he had some food to hold him over the hour and a half until lunch.
    I don't usually help people when out in public. That sounds uncompassionate but I don't usually see them in need. I know I wear blinders when in public. The main reason is that I am with my kids, I don't want to draw attention to myself any more than neccesary. Believe me my kids do enough of that. So I hurry about my way and don't observe people. I used to be a people watcher and I have turned into a people avoider. I know this is something that God wants to change in me. If someone drops something I need to pick it up as I used to do. Things that make one a good Christian, a good person for that matter, I need to do more of.
   I usually am walking around with my head in the clouds, barely attached. I purposely would avoid situations that made me uncomfortable and  now God is pushing me out of my comfortable box. I am not sure if I will ever be as compassionate as the good Samaritan, but I can certainly get better than I am. The order is "to love your neighbor as yourself ".  I will start with the hardest part of that phrase first, myself. I have always struggled with loving myself so how am I to love others in such a way. If you do not love yourself there is no way to properly fufill this command. I know I have tried and failed. I need to take care of myself before I can help others. This concept sounded foreign to me when I first heard it.  Why in the world would I do that? But now it does make perfect sense, as you cannot give what you do not have.