I couldn't think of much else this week except the swirling waters of Japan. A terrible tragedy. There are no words to describe it and really no way of fully understanding, short of first hand experience, what the people of Japan are going through. To be honest, it frightens me a little knowing I am not exempt from tragedy. Though I may never experience a tsunami there are countless other disasters, natural and created, I may some day be unfortunate enough to encounter. In this world there seems an infinite number of ways in which to die or suffer loss.
However, though the loss of Japan has touched me I am affected even more by the swirl of emotion mixed with the swirl of human goodness that always seems to come out in times of trouble. People helping people, the way it should always be. Why, for some of us, does it take a hardship to bring it to light? Maybe when we are faced with the instability of our lives, and everything we held dear is gone, we realize there is more. We become one with those who share our circumstance. Caring for them
is caring for ourselves.
For us, still here in the perceived safety of the United States, does it wake us just a little to the fragility of human life? Or are we so detached from the situation that we just don't care, or really take notice. Then again, who have we noticed today?
With all the comments floating around the web you may have seen a few "help vs. don't help" discussions. I have, and they all brought to mind the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Who should I love as myself? Jesus' response to this question, when voiced by an expert of the law, was a parable. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
You may have heard the story. A man beaten and robbed, left at the side of the road. He was dying and yet ignored even by those of the church, too busy going about their daily lives to care. But then a man, one who would have probably been spit upon by the beaten gent had he had the strength, stopped, and yes, lent a hand. He did so when no one else would. So Jesus, in his normal manner, ended the story with a question.
vs. 36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
Did you catch it? See how Jesus worded it? "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man?" Being a neighbor doesn't mean you live next door or even in the same town, or state, or country. It isn't even about who
your neighbor is, but it is all about who you have been a neighbor to.
vs. 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Mercy, and we see it in the faces of those who though losing everything, still continue to give. It is the little bit of God that swirls out, regardless of our beliefs. It is the part of Him, whose image we are
all created in. And the good news - you don't need to wait for tragedy to be a neighbor. Look around you, opportunity exists everywhere. A neighbor is not only a state of being, it is a state of having done. So maybe "neighbor" is a verb too? :)
So, using the phrase I learned last month... Go verb your noun!! :)
God Bless!
This post was part of the Christian Writers Blog Chain! Please visit the links to the right for more amazing posts on the topic of "swirling"!
