By: Julie Nash

Our founder, Carlos Vargas, often shares the story of the Good Samaritan. How it was the most unlikely person that helped the half dead man lying on the street. The story in Luke recounts that he was beaten, stripped of his clothes and left there. I am currently participating in an online Bible study, The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. Last week, we were talking about the passive mind….my thoughts instantly went to the Good Samaritan. A priest crosses over to the other side of the street and then a Levite does the same. It’s amazing how our mind can purposefully not acknowledge things we need to see. Have you ever read this parable and thought that there is no way you would walk by a dying man and cross to the other side of the street? Yet, and this is hard, how many broken people are we passing everyday and we are just too busy, too unwilling, to stop and share Christ’s love.

I recently stopped and gave a ride to one of the nannies that was walking down the mountain. I had three teachers out sick, a tour coming and it was of course a Monday. I was so encouraged by our quick conversation. This was so simple but yet my mind did not want me to take the time to stop. We live in a culture of needs. Starving children, abuse, trauma and neglect abound. How is it possible to make a difference? It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s just easier to let our minds go to that passive place where we just don’t even think about the broken hurting people around us….but we can make a difference. One hurting person at a time. Every time we take food to a hungry village we are bandaging the wound of hunger. Every voice that we take time to hear is healing the wound of neglect. Every child that is rescued is healing the physical need. Every time a child  is sponsored we are helping to heal a country. And every time the name of Christ is shared in these situations we are becoming the Good Samaritans to our world…next time your heart is stirred, don’t cross the street, take time to make a difference.