The Fallen Need Our Help

Yesterday I had a run-in with the street beside Memorial Coliseum. It’s funny how quickly the ground can come up to meet you when you least expect it!

I was walking back to Chandler Medical Center from Good Samaritan Hospital – it was a lovely day to skip the shuttle. But as I stepped off of the curb into the street, I looked off to the left to be sure no cars were coming and I failed to see the uneven pavement. I twisted my ankle and went splat onto all fours.

I don’t know where all these people came from but I looked up to see 5-6 students rushing to my aid. They were very concerned that I may have hurt myself. They helped me up, made sure I was okay, and then – just like that – they were gone.

Unlike my husband who seems to leave us all hanging in his sermons as he tells stories like this, before I move on to the spiritual lesson I learned, I’d like to just say that I am fine. I have a little spot on my foot that is swollen and tender and I’m a little achy all over. But that’s about it.

Now…

As I’ve thought about this graceful episode of mine, I’ve pondered the Body of Christ. Isn’t it pretty normal? You get a paper cut on your little finger and it messes up your day – and you’re reminded that if one part of the Body is hurt then it affects the other members. I definitely experienced that. I walked differently after the fall which made my back hurt. Sometimes the achiness from my foot radiated up my shin. My knees stung when I took a shower because just enough skin had gotten scuffed off to make them tender. Yep, my whole body felt the effects of my spill.

But what about the students? First of all, I was impressed that they left their busyness to come check on this old girl. That was really sweet. But once they saw that I could get up on my own and could walk, they seemingly just disappeared.

Do we do that? When someone falls flat on their face spiritually, do we go rushing in to make sure they’re okay and then just disappear as quickly as we came? What should our response be?

I’m reminded of the Good Samaritan – interesting since that’s the name of the hospital where I had been before this occurred. Not only did he go attend to the one who had fallen, he loaded him up and took him to a safe place where his needs could be addressed. And he paid the expenses to boot. (see Luke 10:25-37)

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. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”  Luke 10:34-35

Lord, Help us keep our eyes open for the fallen in our midst. Help us meet their immediate and long-term needs. Remind us take good care of each other since that is the right thing to do.