Other Awareness

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.

~Luke 10:34 NLT

Other awareness. No one said it would be easy, as I soon discovered.

Scene 1. Just before I had to return to school, my wife and I escaped for a few days to one of our favorite mountain retreats. We had no special plans. We merely wanted to relax and get away from our daily duties of tending to three aging parents and other life responsibilities. In fact, we spent most of our time in the motel room, sitting on the balcony, and looking at the surrounding mountains.

On a stop at Walmart—because who can go anywhere without stopping there—a man approached me as soon as I exited the car. This retreat area is not one where people generally ask for help, but he did. He and his wife were on vacation when they were involved in a wreck on the interstate. He needed a little extra money to get a motel room for the night.

The vibes weren’t good. I listened for a while, but soon told him I couldn’t help him. Later, as my wife and I returned to the car, we passed him and another man, both pushing carts filled with various items. I suppose someone believed his story and donated to his “worthy” cause.

Scene 2. As my wife and I sat in the hotel dining room, enjoying our continental breakfast, a woman with two children stood in front of the one coffee dispenser. For ten minutes, I watched her meticulously open sugar and cream packets and pour them one by one into two empty cups.

Others, including me, wanted coffee, but no one could get any until she finished. She never realized she had been keeping other patrons from getting their coffee. I wondered why she couldn’t just have filled the two cups with coffee, put the condiments in her pocket, gone to her room, and prepared the coffee there. Seemingly, she had no other awareness. Perhaps, she carried a burden of which I wasn’t aware.

As a middle school teacher, my peers and I often joke about how middle schoolers have no other awareness. Their little worlds revolve around them, and rarely do they step out of them to notice or help others.

But Jesus taught us to live with other awareness. In his famous parable, Jesus depicts two important individuals on their way to fulfill their religious duty, but they pass by a man whom robbers have beaten and robbed. Yet, a hated mixed-race Samaritan outshone their neglect, saw the poor man, and stopped to assist him. He cared for his wounds and then took him to get further help.

Had God not had an awareness of our sin problem—and cared—he would never have sent Jesus to die for our sins and pay our debt. I’m glad he was aware of my need, of everyone’s need.

The parable encourages us to do the same. Not to live in our own little bubbles, but to look beyond them. To realize that a world surrounds us with people who need legitimate help. Yes, fakers live here, too, and I’ve been duped by a few of them. Yet, this shouldn’t prevent us from responding to the ones who genuinely need help. And in the end, all we can do is help with proper motives and leave the results to God.

God spoke to my spirit that day in the parking lot. Red flags went up. I responded accordingly. But this doesn’t always happen. Our spiritual responsibility is to be aware of others’ needs and respond as God gives us opportunity and ability. God will take care of the rest.

Let God teach you to live with other awareness.