Don’t Forget the First-Aid Kit!
By
Elin Henderson
“But
a certain Samaritan….came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion
on him…and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine…”
Luke 10:33-34 (NKJV)
This story is a familiar one. Three men passed by the wounded
man in this parable told by Jesus, but only one was ready and willing to help.
The other two had neither the supplies nor the heart to reach out to a fellow
human being in need. The third man, however, was not only moved with compassion
but was also ready and able to serve. He had bandages and medicine on hand and
that, coupled with his willing and generous heart, brought healing and hope for
this stranger.
How about us? Sometimes it isn’t enough to just have compassion
for another suffering soul, we have to have our first aid kits metaphorically
ready to be of use. Do we travel prepared and looking for the wounded and
hurting? Our first aid kits may not have literal bandages and medicine in them,
but we can stock them with ample amounts of God’s promises and His Word. That,
coupled with a liberal dose of prayer and the power of His Spirit, can bring
healing to the physically, emotionally or even spiritually battered and torn
that lie strewn across our paths.
So, the next time you are getting ready for a trip down the road
from your Jerusalem to Jericho, be sure and pack your first aid kit! You never
know whom God might place in your path. Keep your physical and spiritual eyes
open, your compassion in ample supply, and your first aid kit ready!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What kind of things would you
pack in your spiritual “first aid kit”? Are there ways we can be preparing
ourselves to be more aware of the hurting around us and more efficient in the
use of our first aid?
2. Have you ever been on the
receiving end of a “first aid kit”? What help did you receive and how can that
propel you as you pack your own kit?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa.
Elin is mother to sixteen-year-old Callie and fourteen-year-old Elias.
