Built to Serveნიმუში

Right Place, Right Time

Have you ever looked at your vacation pictures and wondered who all the people are in the background?

Probably not. Why? Because they are not important to you. Your focus is on the person or people you are connected to.

But what if the story of the picture continued after it was taken?

You hear in the news often how two strangers met only because one was in a crisis and needed help, and the other was in the right place at the right time. More than that, that person saw the other in need and stopped to help.

When Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), He tells of three characters who all saw the same hurting person, but two walked by while only one stopped to help him, and I can’t help but wonder why.

In Philippians 2, Paul writes that, in humility, we are to “value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NIV).

It seems Jesus was identifying a key issue: just because we see someone doesn’t mean we value them. And it’s when we value them that we can look to their interests and needs (Philippians 2:4 NIV).

Christian men are called to a life of putting others first. But how do we do that when we have our own things going on?

We start by truly seeing the other person.

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him…” (Luke 10:33 NIV, emphasis added).

When we see them, we can put ourselves aside. Then, as Paul wrote, we begin to value the other person (Philippians 2:3), and when that happens, we can begin to assess their situation and needs and see how we can help (Philippians 2:4).

This does not mean we can’t have our own needs, but it helps us see others, and they move from being strangers in the background to ones in need at the centre of our attention.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You that You see so much more than I do. Open my eyes to see more of what You do. Amen.

Reflection: As you go through your week, be intentional about noticing the people around you that you haven’t noticed before and open your heart to what their needs might be.