In the story of the Good Samaritan
three men pass a severely injured man. Two do nothing, but the third
stops and helps the dying man. In the story of the Good Samaritan
we see parallels in orphan care. The bible says the first thing the
Good Samaritan does is “see him” . The Samaritan saw the
injured man. We all know orphans exist, but do we “see them”?
In order to see, we have to stop in our hectic tracks and see outside
of ourselves, our family, and our situations and activities to see
that these little ones exist too and have needs. Seeing comes from
our heart, and it is the first step. It all begins and flows from
here.
The second thing he did was “had
compassion for him”. What does that mean? We often feel sorry for
numerous people, but was does it mean to “take pity or have
compassion”. I believe it means that for an instant we can put
ourselves in that person's shoes, feel their pain and loneliness, own
it, and make it a part of our soul. That is very different than
being sad about something; it takes exchanging a bit of our soul for
theirs. Many people stop here, some because they want to avoid the
uncomfortableness, and some because they are truly unable to do
something. This is where prayer warriors and financial contributors
can do great work for the orphans. BUT, you need to truly search
your heart in prayer, to hear God clearly that He is not calling you
to do something else. Do not let fear of finances or not having a
big enough house rule in this area. If you are doing what He has
called you to do, He will provide every time for every need.
Thirdly, it says “he went to him and
bandaged his wounds”. This is the point of action. He went to
where the person was. People that go on orphanage mission trips,
host orphans in their home for a few weeks, start up long term
ministries with orphans or adopt, come into play here. We meet them,
speak with them, get to know them individually, bend down to their
level, whisper words of love and hope, heal their wounds, get dirty
with our own two hands, and maybe even wash their feet. All workers
among the fatherless are crucial, but this level is where the
blessings are multiplied. When you share space with those God calls
His children, your soul cannot come away without being magnified and
overflowing with the Lord's presence.
Next, we read that “he put the man on
his own donkey”. If the Samaritan put him on his own donkey that
means the Samaritan is stuck walking the rest of the way. He is
uncomfortable now. He has given up some physical comfort for this
stranger who is in need. His bones are tired and his feet dusty.
Hosting an orphan is a wonderful experience, but you do have to give
up a small amount of physical comfort. There is one more person in
the house to clean up after and tend. At first they seem like an
on-going house guest, though at the end, they have become like
family. There are activities to take them to. And while these are
fun, we may be giving up our Saturday to take a child who has seen
nothing but gray orphanage walls and treeless broken playground
equipment, to fish, learn to ride a bike, go swimming or to a zoo,
roller skate or have a birthday party—all for the first time. But
this is such a short walk for us, a trifling thing—just a few weeks
of our lives and a few extra outings. For them though, it can have
such an amazing impact of seeing how a family operates, feeling loved
and wanted, doing and seeing things they have never done before, and
perhaps hearing the gospel for the first time from loving friends.
Lastly we read that the Samaritan had
to leave for a short time, but he made sure the injured man was
tended by the inn keeper while he was away by giving the inn keeper
silver coins. The interesting part for me was that he did not just
give the inn keeper the bare minimum to make sure the man stayed
alive; he gave extravagantly. He gave with his whole heart and
treated the man as he would want to be treated, not begrudgingly or
stingily, but with a heart overflowing with love, compassion and
comfort. He didn't want to just do enough to get by, he wanted this
man to feel at home, and be well taken care of and have all his
physical needs met. One of the greatest blessings of hosting is to
be able to give the host children NEW clothes, NEW toys, NEW shoes,
something they have never had before in a life of getting by and
hand-me-downs. We are able to tuck them in and pray with them, wipe
their eyes, kiss their heads and bandage their scrapes. You don't
just give them a home or a vacation, you give to them from the
abundance of your heart. They learn that they have value and are
loveable. You are able to tell them of a Heavenly Father who came so
that they might have life and have it abundantly.
“Who is your neighbor?” Is
God calling you to hosting or adoption or a mission trip? Is God
calling you to pray or give to His children so they may understand
what a family is and feel His love in a tangible way? Compassion and
action begin by knowing and seeing with our hearts. The fields are
white, the needs are great and the time is short. The question is
“Which
of these three do you think was a neighbor?” The expert in the law
replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus
told him,
"Go
and do likewise."
