“Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. ‘Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?’ He answered, ‘What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?’ He said, ‘That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.’ ‘Good answer!’ said Jesus. ‘Do it and you’ll live.’ Looking for a loophole, he asked, ‘And just how would you define ‘neighbor?’ Jesus answered by telling a story. ‘There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him, he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. ‘A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning, he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back. What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?’ ‘The one who treated him kindly,’ the religion scholar responded.’ Jesus said, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke 10:25-37 The Message Bible)
At our virtual prayer meeting this past Monday night, there were several church members who petitioned the Lord to sustain and strengthen various caregivers in our congregation. Initially, briefly, and quickly, a flashback memory came to my mind. I’m supposed to be praying too, right? But just being honest, for a minute, I remembered when my wife was Mrs. King teaching first grade and not Dr. King, Ed.D., directing continuing education programs at a local institute of higher education. Specifically, I recalled a time during her elementary teaching days when we purchased every “Care Bear” we could find and we hung them from the ceiling in her room to make the classroom more appealing to her young pupils. This was in my unrealized pre-décor days. My straying away at prayer meeting to revisit past did not last too long. The Holy Spirit urged me to get my mind back on the prayer meeting, agreeing, affirming, and actually connecting with the ones who were praying.
When it came my turn to pray, I unconsciously followed a pattern set by Jesus in the model prayer, beginning with praise and adoration and after those expressions, and among other things, I showed reverence for God, expressed how we continue to trust Him in spite of the happenings in the world, and thanked Him for our members who were submissive to God’s will to the best of their ability; making perfect progress, striving for perfection and achieving excellence. I closed with praise. Following my prayer, the Senior Pastor gave the closing prayer. Since nobody logged out after he finished praying, apparently glad to be in the service and connected with other saints one more time, we all kept talking to one another. I asked, “Can I say one more thing?” Everyone nodded in a way that they silently were saying, “Sure.” So, I said, speaking as one gifted to teach? Everyone is a caregiver. Each of us should be caring for one another and others.” Their “amens” indicated agreement with my statement, revealing a corporate, assenting spirit.
Considering the content of the Good Samaritan parable above, I think Jesus, who was on the mainline, was in agreement with my words as well. I’m sure He spoke to our hearts and said, “Go and do the same.” I support His instruction by saying to you, “Don’t “Care Barely!” Have a great day Be blessed!
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King