A Samaritan made his way down  to Jericho and encountered a wounded Jew lying alongside the road. Others had hurried by, too busy with their own affairs to be interrupted.

But the Samaritan, who was hated by the Jews and would be expected to pass by, ‘had compassion’. He “bandaged his wounds, . . . set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34).

God’s will comes to us in strange ways, often in the form of interruptions. Just when we think our duties are done for the day and we’ve settled in for a quiet evening at home, someone calls on the telephone or shows up on our doorstep asking for our time. “Are you busy?” they ask.

The best thing to do is to stop looking at these intrusions as interruptions. Instead we should take them as opportunities that God is sending us to serve those in need—to listen well, to show love and to help them on their journey towards intimacy with God.

One early Christian writer, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, said, “Love is the duty of the present moment.” No matter what else we may have planned, love is our duty.

“Who is my neighbour?” I ask. Jesus answers, “The person in need I’m sending your way.”

Author

David H. Roper

Topics

Our Daily Bread