By Kelly Cilano

Have you ever thought about loss? Loss of family, lost time, lost money, lost (fill in the blank).

Too often we recognize the opportunity crossing our path just a moment too late, and in a blink, it’s gone.

When I think of the story of the Good Samaritan, I always identify myself, of course, with the star character, the Good Samaritan.  After all, I love people. I like to be with them. I work with them.

I am not really happy if I’m alone too long, and I’m generally a people person.

Well, the other morning I was driving nonchalantly down Ajo Road to Camino De Oeste on my way to work at Valencia Middle School.

Now I admit, outside of the cars around me, I wasn’t paying too much attention to anything. I was sort of on auto pilot, you know, just doing my thing, going to work like everybody else.

I noticed a jeep I didn’t recognize pulled over on the side of the road, and a man sitting on the hillside using a phone.

He has a phone. He’ll be fine was my immediate response.

Like everybody else, I was going fairly quickly on the highway, but for some reason I kept thinking about that man.

He looked familiar. I really didn’t see his face, but still he looked familiar.

How many times had I turned around to check out the situation, and found I was wrong, though?

Actually he looked kind of like the assistant principal from my school. But the guy probably just looked like him.

Chances are, it’s not him.

By this time I was at the light at Camino De Oeste and Ajo and it was almost 8:00 a.m. I have students that I tutor at that time, and I didn’t want to be late.

After all, who would I call? No one is in the office at this time, and if they are, they don’t always answer the phones, and anyway, how would I reach those students?

I turned left, pulled into the school parking lot, and started my day on time.

The priest and Levite probably had all those same arguments going through their heads when they saw a man in need by the side of the road. I’m sure they had appointments that were important.

In this day and age, being punctual is very important. You don’t want to keep people waiting. It’s rude and ultimately selfish. After all, is your time more important than theirs?

It’s not very organized or professional to be late. Besides, helping people is very time consuming, and if you can’t give the full amount of whatever is required, then should you really stop to give at all?

You just end up frustrating them and yourself, because you’re not properly prepared for the commitment you are making.  Consequently, you really shouldn’t stop to help unless you have very carefully counted the cost.

How many of these same arguments ring in your head when you see people go to the altar?

What about the people around you at work? All around us, people are hurting, but they’ll sooner bite than respond with thanks.  The hand that reaches out will often be grabbed, if you are willing to take that chance. It’s often awkward and unrewarding, not to mention messy.

I’m sure the Good Samaritan got dirty, and probably even bloody (think: real human mess and danger). But just the same, he did what no one else was willing to do.

Jesus did the same thing for us at the Cross. Like the Samaritan, He stretched out His arms to lift us out of our mess. He bathed our wounds in forgiveness and grace, and then paid the price for our costly rebellious sin that was killing us. 

Opportunities are all around us, and many times they are right in front of our face. Yet too often, we are willing to give excuses as to why we can’t get involved.

Sometimes we don’t help because the commitment is big and daunting. But most of the time it’s really about us: our blindness, our selfishness, our business, our loss of priorities.

When our vision becomes Christ-like we see more than ever before. Our business, our priorities, our timing, our everything becomes more balanced, more productive, and much more clear.

Even in times of stress and challenge we can operate in peace and joy, when our perspective is Christ-oriented rather than me-oriented.

Opportunities are all around us, but recognizing them is where most of us lose it.

Let’s look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-34: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where [the wounded traveler] was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

Notice that when the Good Samaritan saw the man he had compassion.

That means the real question is do we really care? With no compassion, there would be no reaction.

With no compassion, there would be no mercy extended or received, and the man would have died.

Look around. How many wounded people do you see in the course of a day?

Recognizing an opportunity lies in how we see the situation: is it an inconvenience, or an opportunity?

How we see is directly related to our heart condition. Are we open to God’s vision or closed? Obedient or disobedient? 

We are all busy. Too busy. But… is that because we’re living in the last days, and the time is short?

John 9:4 says the night is coming when no one can work.

The needy man would have died without the Good Samaritan’s help. How many needy are you passing by?

Thankfully, the assistant principal (my boss – and I even like the guy!) did not die. But frankly, it was no thanks to me.

I had responsibilities. That is true. But that day my priorities were clouded.

Don’t reason away your opportunities. They can disappear in a moment of time, and the loss will be all yours.

The night is coming when no one can work.