Many people have probably heard the story about The Good Samaritan. But how many can say they’ve truly experienced it themselves? After what happened to me the other day, I believe it’s safe to say that I’m now one of them.
For those who might not know what the tale of The Good Samaritan is about, it comes from the Bible in the Gospel of Luke (10:29-37). In it, Jesus shares a parable about a Jewish traveller who is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. Both a priest and a Levite walk by avoiding this traveller completely. But when a Samaritan comes along, he helps the injured man, even though Samaritans and Jews at that time generally despised each other. Today this parable has been used to refer to any instance where a person reaches out to help a stranger in need.
I have always been fascinated with this parable because of how many in this world today still act like those “priests” and “levites”. They witness others getting beaten, robbed, mugged, raped, or taken advantage of in some way and they never say or do anything about it. They also often observe those who might need a general kind of helping hand during one of those little crises that can happen in life. But there too, they always make excuses and avoid doing so. And it is this very thing that happened to me only a few days ago.
I had been driving on an icy and snow-covered neighborhood road heading to an AA meeting. In front of me was a car that appeared stationery, empty, and parked. As I proceeded to drive around it, it suddenly started to turn straight into me, unaware that I was trying to pass by it. I slammed on my brakes but had no ability to stop my vehicle due to the slippery conditions beneath me. Somehow the other vehicle narrowly avoided hitting the right side of my car by mere inches as it maneuvered back onto the road and came to a standstill. I, on other hand, careened straight ahead into a large snow bank, where it there became completely stuck. I sat for a moment feeling a little shocked and then looked over at the other vehicle to make sure whoever was driving it was ok. But sadly, what happened next was a good example of those “priests” and “levites” of today.
I watched as the other vehicle’s driver quickly spun away, not even once making sure that I too was ok. Then I saw how one car after another continued to pass by even while I waved my arms for their help. I honestly thought about the story of The Good Samaritan as each of those car’s drivers noticed me and I began to wonder if anyone would ever come to my aid. Thankfully, God eventually sent me two of them. But it’s the first one, an elderly woman, who made this story get even better.
Upon hearing that I was heading to an AA meeting, she told me that she had been sober for 12 years but hadn’t been to one of them in a very long time. When I told her that I had been sober for over 18 years and that I still went to meetings regularly because they helped me on my spiritual path, I could see it touched her in a very positive way. When she and the other kind man were able to finally free my car from it’s temporary prison, I said thank you and God bless to each of them. But it’s the spiritual love I felt from that elderly woman that day, which made me question whether God wanted all of it to happen just as it did.
Regardless, I am quite happy to say I made it to that AA meeting on time and even got to share this story with everyone there that day. And as I share about it again right now, I find myself feeling very grateful to my Higher Power. It really is wonderful to know there are still some Good Samaritans out there in the world these days. My only hope though is that there are many others too.
So if a day comes where you find yourself on a road whether it’s ice and snow covered or not, if you happen to see a stranger who could use your help, it’s my hope and prayer that you too will become The Good Samaritan…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson