Help Wanted

I read an interesting question this morning. In relation to Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan, where do we find people with needs? The examples suggested were prisons, nursing homes, and similar settings. From the suggestions, I was reminded of our long days with Miss Erin at a Children's Medical Center following the need for her to be transported from our local hospital on Christmas Eve because she just couldn't breathe on her own. During those days as we sat by our infant daughter's side waiting, we were never alone. Christ was with us in every moment, and His people came in waves that buoyed us. Our meals and a place to sleep and shower were provided for us when we simply could not have provided for ourselves. Family members traveled to sit with us initially, and took our older children back home with them for a makeshift Christmas. Friends drove many miles on icy highways throughout the holidays to sit with us or phoned. There was help to prepare our home for Erin's return in the New Year, and a hot meal delivered to our door that evening. That was a crisis situation, and our needs were both great and fully met.
Yet, it is not solely in great crisis that we need the "Good Samaritan". I think of our sweet next-door neighbors who need Don to come change the light bulb in their garage-door opener. On a daily basis, we are talking with one or both of the precious pair who inhabit the home next door. I take a dog over to visit a couple of times a week because the gentleman living there is no longer able to care for a pet of his own despite an undimished love for furry friends. Don trims their hedges from time to time. I spend hours listening to the lady of the house as she expresses the difficulty and uncertainty of the crazy new life they lead now that her husband has had the dreaded cancer and a series of strokes that have required a transfer of his responsibilities to her already overburdened shoulders. Whatever they might need, Don and I provide availability. We are so blessed to have this couple living next door to us, and we have discovered a couple of new ladies of retirement age who also need an ear (and occasionally a fellow for a bit of "Honey, do...") as they try to navigate the uncertainties of a different retirement from the one they planned.
I believe that people with needs are all around us if we just take a moment to pay attention. If I stop to ask the simplest of questions or make the most basic observations I will see the needs of others. Whether the need is for a meal, a babysitter, or someone to really listen there is an opportunity there.