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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the people in my life who I shun. For me the reason for exempting them seems wise, however, upon reflection not all my reasons may be as noble as I think. This disparity in my life, and in other lives I see around me, led me to think about the parable of the Good Samaritan. In processing this parable, I deliberately changed the story by putting a person I shunned or people shun, in the story in place of the Samaritan. This was very sobering. This propelled me to look at the major groups of people in my dismiss list. I had made Samaritans of other people who were not like me.
When I read or hear the story of the Good Samaritan, I never want to be the person who crosses the road, or steps over and ignores. I want to be the person who see’s the Samaritan’s value and treats the problem honorably. It’s not easy. As inspiring as the story is, real life is harder. I often talk about making room on my bench for the outsiders, the LGBT friends, the intellectual, the feminist, the excommunicated and so on. I need to make room on my spiritual bench for my traditional practicing brothers and sisters.
My question for my StayLDS ward members is, “Do you have Samaritans?” I was surprised I did.
Great imagery Mom3, thank you. This is likening the scriptures unto yourself IMO. Yes, I have Samaritans and I admit I have been others’ Samaritan – not the good one. I gave a talk in a ward years ago about charity in which I asked the congregation to consider, very seriously, what their first reaction would be, internally, if they were in the middle of the administration of the sacrament and any of the following people walked into the chapel: – a drunk man, reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke
– a teenage girl with multiple tattoos and body piercings, wearing a mini skirt, tank top, fishnet stocking and combat boots
– two adult men holding hands and obviously a couple
I told them that they could understand their level of charity through that simple reaction as much as perhaps through any other way – and I told them that I hoped, eventually, every one of them would react immediately by thinking, “Thank God they found us,” and by standing up and asking the person or couple to sit next to them for the rest of the meeting.
Yes, we have Samaritans, publicans, sinners and lepers in our lives, and we ought to think long and hard about who they are. Maybe, for some of us here, they are the traditional “TBMs” in our lives. At least, that’s worth considering.
Ray – I wish I had been there to hear that talk. Your line of thinking is always helpful to me. I read your blog often. I love your Sunday School class updates, I find them very fulfilling and thought provoking. I know I ramble when I write my thoughts here, but it really helps me examine and learn. Thank you for always supporting us and this board. It is a life line.
mom3 wrote:In processing this parable, I deliberately changed the story by putting a person I shunned or people shun, in the story in place of the Samaritan. This was very sobering. This propelled me to look at the major groups of people in my dismiss list. I had made Samaritans of other people who were not like me.
When I read this parable I tried to come up with someone who stands against many of the things that I/we stand for. I came up with Jerald and Sandra Tanner. I know that they have been actively fighting against the church for decades and possibly making a living from it, but I imagine that they could also be nice old folks that might help a wayfarer in need.
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