She
marched toward me, her steps short but deliberate. Her path was hampered by the
bustle of shoppers in the local convenience store, people jostling for a place
in the checkout line while precariously balancing containers of coffee and
juice, bagels and donuts. It was the morning rush hour, but unlike those
customers, I was heading out of state for a weekend vacation and was in a
pretty laid-back frame of mind. That might have been the reason she zeroed in
on me.
Our eyes met. I gave her what I thought was a courteous but unengaging Good Morning smile. She smiled back.
Balancing my coffee and cinnamon roll in one hand and my purse in the other, I
attempted to side-step her, but she blocked my path.
“Can you give me a ride home?” she asked breathlessly.
I was caught off-guard. I had never met her before and I was pretty certain she
didn’t know me. She must have sensed my confusion because she added, “Your
daughter said I should ask you.” I looked around for my daughter who stood
halfway down the aisle. Her shoulder-shrug and perplexed eyes told me she
didn’t know the woman either.
In twenty-first century, crime-ridden America, do rational, safety-conscious
people approach total strangers and ask to be taken for a ride in the
strangers’ car? Do rational, safety-conscious people comply with that kind
of request and assume the responsibility of transporting a stranger to an
unknown address? I didn’t think so.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” I said without further thought, and moved
away.
Besides the safety issue, I had good reason to refuse her request. My daughter,
grandson and I were only twenty minutes into a six-hour drive that would take
us across four states to see my granddaughter perform in her first stage play, Peter Pan. She was playing Wendy. We had
promised to be present for opening night. Our tickets had been purchased.
A detour would have blown our schedule. Walking away from that stranger was
justified on so many levels.
The woman followed me to the checkout line. From behind me she whispered her
story: She is diabetic. She had walked from home in the early morning to keep
an appointment with Social Services and, in her hurry, left her medication at
home. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw her hands tremble. Was her story
true, or was she just a very glib con artist? I offered to buy her a container
of orange juice to temporarily stave off a diabetic crisis. She declined, saying
she had just eaten a piece of candy.
It was a beautiful day outdoors. Sharp sunrays glinted off the mirrors of cars
lined up in the parking lot. But clouds whipped across the bright blue sky the
result of a brutal wind reminding me of Al Roker’s morning forecast of 11
degree temperatures and intolerable wind chills. I knew it would be dangerous
to walk a long distance in that kind of weather.
I was reminded of a story Jesus told: A man was attacked by robbers as he was
traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a Levite saw the beaten and broken
man but walked away, probably out of fear for their own safety, or maybe out of
cold-heartedness. But a Samaritan bandaged his wounds, took the man to a safe
place and paid for his stay. Jesus asked his audience, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell
into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had
mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”[ Luke 10: 30-37-NIV]
I wonder, is it still possible or even wise for an ordinary upstanding citizen to
be a “Good Samaritan” in this era of random attacks on unsuspecting citizens,
or, like the priest and Levite, would it be more prudent to ignore this
plea? Was there a way for me to go and do likewise without risking life and limb?
How easy it has become to be caught up in
the fears of this world and forget that we are sheltered by the One who protects
us in every situation. How quickly we latch on to the advice of the overly
cautious naysayers who say Stay away,
when Jesus clearly says, Go... and I go
with you.
I decided to grant her request - first taking some precautions:
I asked her point blank if she was carrying a weapon. I had to let her know I
was a little suspicious. She said no.
(Yes, I do realize she could have lied.) Next, I asked to see photo
identification. She complied without question. Then I texted her name and
contact information to my husband along with a description of how she was
dressed. Finally, I had her ride in the front passenger seat while my daughter
drove. I would be able to watch her every movement from behind.
It
goes without saying that the ride was uneventful. In fact, it was quite
pleasant. We delivered her safely home without crisis. We arrived at our out of
state destination with time to spare. Most important, we acted on
faith, trusting God to keep us safe, and in doing so, were able to share
the love of Christ in a simple, tangible way.
So
this little blog post is to remind you that you need never succumb to the fears
of this world. Be prudent, yes. Take reasonable precautions, yes. But never
neglect the opportunity to be the Good Samaritan, the helping hand that Jesus
intended us to be. He left us here to be his arms to provide comfort, his feet
to go into the dark places where others are reluctant to go, and his heart to
show real love to those who are loveless.
Keep the faith,
Maxine
