There is a notorious story in the Bible called the Good Samaritan. It is about a man who was beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders passed by and did not help. Then a Samaritan, a man who would have been considered an outsider and even an enemy, stopped. He bandaged the man’s wounds, placed him on his donkey, took him to an inn, and paid for his care. This story was the answer to a question Jesus had been asked, “Who is my neighbor?”
There is a lot to consider in the story. But for time’s sake, I will focus on two things. First, the people everyone would assume would be the most likely to help were not. Second, the person no one would have guessed would do something, went above and beyond.
This story is encouraging to me because it reminds me that being a good neighbor doesn’t require a title, doesn’t require an expectation of others, it doesn’t require the person we are helping be the same as us. It just requires us to be a good neighbor.
By the way, one of the biggest lessons for me over the years has been that being a good neighbor starts at home. My husband, my kids, my grandkids, my extended family, they are the closest neighbors. Sometimes it is tempting to skip them and go on to humanitarian efforts or helping those outside our home. While that is also important, it’s more important, though often more challenging, to be a good neighbor to those closest to us in a way that only we can be. And hopefully, through our example, we will inspire our kids and others to also be good neighbors.
So let’s not wait to have a title, or qualify or have a perfect scenario. Let’s be the one that goes above and beyond.