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| Parking lot covered in snow and ice |
"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, brought him to an inn and
took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii 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.”
-Luke 10:33-37
With
Atlanta now undergoing round 2 of Snowpocalypse, I was reminded of round 1 a
couple weeks back and the stories of people helping strangers whether through
giving food, water, a place to stay, a ride back to their car, or other
neighborly activities. Though many people went through some very difficult
scenarios, as a whole, the Atlanta community really stepped up to the
challenge. I hesitate to call it a natural disaster but there were similarities
to what happens during a natural disaster. People dropped their protective
personal bubble and helped others without expectation of anything in return.
In
a way, it would be cool if things were more like that in every day life. Safety is
always top of mind and bad apples in society unfortunately have sown distrust
in strangers as a category. But at least for a couple days it was neat to see
how people genuinely cared for each other and lived out the Good
Samaritan parable in real life.
Always
be careful and keep safety in mind but be conscious of the Holy Spirit if He
prompts you to say something to or do something for a stranger. Sometimes He
uses us to meet needs and be the hands and feet that answer people's prayers.
In pursuit of His best,
Andrew
