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"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion."
(Luke 10:33)
How do you react when God interrupts your plans? In Jesus's famous parable known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, two religious men, a priest and a Levite, walked right past a man who was hurting and in need of help. But a Samaritan walked by, stopped, and helped the man, who had been beaten and robbed. All three of the passersby were presented with a person in desperate need, but only one allowed his schedule to be interrupted.
It is easy to walk past people carelessly as we are on our way. I am often a man on a mission. I have a busy and often tight schedule. Unfortunately, I do not give myself many margins but pack a lot in a brief time. That can be a good thing, but it can also be a negative if my busyness in accomplishing my goals gets in the way of me accomplishing God's goal for me in a particular moment.
Yesterday, I wrote about missing my speaking engagement at students' camp. I was bummed but could do nothing about it because of the flight delays caused by inclement weather. It was interesting to me how calm everyone was on the packed flight from Houston to Jackson. After getting on the flight and being given the clearance to leave, the pilot told all of us passengers that we were 32nd in line to takeoff! After two hours of waiting on the plane, we finally took off for Mississippi.
It became very clear that I was not going to be able to speak that night. I had a choice: I could sulk and complain about the weather, or I could pause and see what plans God had for me. As you know, getting impatient and upset does not help the situation. Unfortunately, many times, my first reaction is just that: I complain and get upset because, after all, I have important things to do! But God is so kind. He guides our steps and our stops. When we are walking with Him; life is quite the adventure.
Let me encourage you in those moments when your plans are totally interrupted. Take a deep breath, pray, and ask God what He wants you to do at that time. He will gladly show you what He wants you to do. I do not think the Good Samaritan had on his calendar that day to stop and help a wounded man. But God interrupted his plans and gave him the opportunity to do the right thing, and unlike the two religious people in the story, he not only helped but also went above and beyond.
May the Lord help us go and do likewise.
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