Before I passed by the person walking on the sidewalk I noticed it. The “it” was a piece of paper ... your typical letter sized sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11). I don’t know if someone had left it there intentionally or if perhaps it was dropped unintentionally and it wound up on the sidewalk.
The person I was meeting paid no attention to the paper and like me, they walked right past it – leaving it where it lay. I was on my morning walk and as it happened, I would pass this way again as I made my way back home. No surprise, but there it was ... that same sheet of paper on the sidewalk. As I strode over the sheet of paper, I sensed the Lord say ... pick it up. So, after initially walking past it, I turned and reached to pick it up. That’s when I noticed something – it was covered with markings, imprints from the sidewalk from where others had not only walked past it but had walked on it – leaving the impressions of being trampled afoot. I then wondered ... “how long had it been there, and how long would it actually remain there unattended until someone picked it up and disposed of it or the elements would eventually break it down?”
I know, you’re probably wondering where this is going ... well, as I thought about this encounter a passage of scripture in Luke’s gospel came to mind. It’s actually found in Luke 10:30-37 and it’s one that most are familiar with: THE GOOD SAMARITAN.Notice what it says ...
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Maybe you’re thinking ... “What does this have to do with a piece of paper on a sidewalk?” Personally, I think there are some very strong correlations. First of all, whose responsibility is it to pick up the piece of paper randomly left on a sidewalk in a seemly insignificant place?
A popular thought would be ... “ It’s certainly not my responsibility because I didn’t place it or leave there and besides that’s what people are paid to do, right? I mean come on, that’s one of the reasons we pay taxes.” And if that’s how we view it, often times the majority will step over or around it without a second thought because it’s just not my responsibility.
Believe it or not, that’s just how the priest & the temple assistant reacted to the situation. That’s right, the “Spiritual” men simply ignored the person in need. One crossed over to the other side of the road wanting no part of it. At least the other got close enough to see what was going on (I guess he was just nosy) but in the end, he wouldn’t lend a hand either.
Who did help?The unsuspecting one ... as the scripture says, “a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.”
His compassion led him to actually do something – He cleaned the man up, put something on the wounds to aid the healing process, and then covered the wounds. As the infomercial would say ... “But there’s more!” This despised Samaritan would go the extra mile as he transported him to safety and continued to tend to him. He even made provisions for extended care in his absence and basically said, I’ll follow up on the situation when I get back.
All I can say is, Wow! If the first two men didn’t feel the need or accept responsibility to help, who would? As a child of God, how many opportunities have been placed before us to reach out and lend the proverbial hand? It certainly doesn’t have to be someone lying on the side of the road ... it could be the extension of a kind word, or holding the door for someone with a physical impairment, etc. The bottom line is, that as a Christian we definitely have a responsibility to be aware of the needs around us and then respond accordingly.
Hey, don’t wait for someone else to do what the Lord ever so gently may be prompting you to do.In other words, bend over and pick up the piece of paper! By the way, that’s exactly what I did on that occasion – in fact, that piece of paper is sitting on my desk, reminding me of the ever-present responsibility that’s before me as a child of God.
My simple prayer for us today is ... “Lord help us to be keenly sensitive to the needs around us and proactive in meeting those needs as You enable us!”
May the Lord bless you my friend and have a wonderful day!