“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
Luke 10:33-34 (NIV)
I once heard a speaker tell a story about his son, Joseph, who got lost in the woods at 4 years old.
While looking for Joseph, his dad spotted a nearby pond, and fearing the worst, he vigorously searched the shallow water, for his son’s body, but found nothing. He prayed and said, “God, you have blessed me with so much in my life and I thank you for everything, but you can take it all back, if you would just please give me back my son.”
Little Joseph was terrified and sitting under a tree in the woods, crying the whole time. His family searched all over until they found him safe and unharmed sitting under the tree.
The father recalls how in his desperation to find his lost son, he was ready to give anything to get him back. That whole experience made him more aware that the essence of the gospel message is about God, a Father who also wants His lost sons and daughters back, and is willing to pay any price for them, which He already did through Jesus.
The gospel message is so much more than a list of moral guidelines or beatitudes to live by. It’s a story of the bold and boundless love that God has for all of us. When I heard the story of the lost boy in the woods, I related to it right away, because I was also once lost in the woods at the same age as Joseph.
When I was four, my family went on a vacation and we stayed in a cabin in a wooded area of Michigan. I also wandered off and got lost in the woods. A very kind family saw me wandering and took me into their cabin, until they found my parents, who were searching everywhere for me. I vaguely recall that the people who took me in, were kind and spoke gently to me, calming my fears. They kept me safe until the reunion with my parents.
God is still searching through the woods of this world, for all of His lost sons and daughters. He is relying on some good neighbors like us, who may be in a nearby cabin, to show kindness to them when they cross our path. He hopes we will show the same kindness and speak calmly to prepare them for a future reunion with their Heavenly Father.
Jesus described the Good Samaritan as being moved with compassion, who then did something to help the wounded man. Compassion will move us to action, according to our own capacity. The lost sons and daughters of God cross our path for a reason, not by coincidence. God knows what we have to offer them and He sends people our way according to His purpose. God may simply be asking us to be present for someone, to speak calming words, as they did for me when I was lost.
So who are the lost sons and daughters in our lives that we can help? They may be coworkers, relatives, friends, neighbors or total strangers. We each have a unique role in God’s search and rescue mission for the lost. People may enter our lives for a moment, or for a season and others for a lifetime, but it is God who places them all there.
God also sends people to care for us if we lose our way. He sends people into our life to give us what we need, to prepare and lead us closer to God someday. It might have been a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a friend, neighbor or a total stranger.
Lord, thank you for the goodness you show us through others, and give us compassion for those lost sons and daughters you send our way. Amen
