THE GOOD SAMARITAN CHALLENGE

One of my favorite stories is The Good Samaritan, a man who was just minding his own business, traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he came across a person on the side of the road who was robbed, naked, and beaten almost to death. This traveler had absolutely no obligation to stop and help the stranger (at least two others had previously walked by), but there he was, loading the dying man on his donkey and taking him into town. 

This road, 17 or 18 miles long and quite steep in some places, was one of the most dangerous routes in the region. Perhaps the Samaritan wondered if the robbers were just ahead, waiting to attack him, too, but the thought, if it came, did not deter him from helping. When the pair arrived in town, the Samaritan secured a room and care for the stranger, paying the innkeeper for two days; he promised to return in two days to settle the rest of the bill and check on the stranger.

“You have not lived until you have helped someone who can never repay you.”
-John Bunyan

Every time I think about this story, I question the last time I helped someone without any expectation of repayment - have I gone out of my way to show someone love and kindness lately? I don’t mean letting someone get in front of me on the freeway or holding a door for a woman juggling two kids and shopping bag. I mean giving my most limited resources (time, money, attention) to someone who has not earned it. When was the last time I gave more than was comfortable? When was the last time I offered more than a smile to someone society has cast aside?

The girls and young women International Sanctuary serves have been cast aside by society. Some of them have been so rejected that they feel they have no worth, that they can never deserve someone’s compassion, but iSanctuary will not give up on them. Each day, people like you and me show them they are valued by investing in their healing and potential. Whether we serve as a monthly sponsor, purchase with PURPOSE, help raise money to launch a new Sanctuary, or volunteer our time growing awareness, we are showing them that they matter, that they are worthy of love and a future. 

We may not see people lying on the sides of roads in need of medical attention, but there are broken hearts and lives all around us. On this Good Samaritan Day, how will you change someone’s life? 

Written by Ashley McCully, Development and Communications Coordinator, International Sanctuary