Happy National Good Samaritan Day, mamas! The purpose of today is to shower people in kindness, to do a good deed(s), and to make people in need feel seen, noticed, and loved.
So what in fact is a “good Samaritan”?
The term “good Samaritan” actually comes from a Bible parable, in which a Samaritan (an individual within the kingdom of Israel, from a city called, Samaria), saw a stranger who was recently robbed, beaten, and left to die on the side of the road. The Samaritan cleaned this man’s wounds, gave him new clothes, and then paid for a room within an inn for the man to stay and recover in. This is such a beautiful story, showing true kindness to someone in need. But what is even more beautiful is the fact that this stranger was a Jew.
Jews and Samaritans did not get along well during Biblical times. In fact, the Samaritans were considered outcasts. They worshiped God differently than the Jews, they had a different ethnicity, and they followed different laws than the Jews did as well. The Jews even went as far as to call the Samaritans unclean and inferior to them. The Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other. So the idea of a Samaritan helping a Jew was completely unheard of! Hence why this parable was called, “The Good Samaritan”.
When I read that parable, two things really stood out to me and made me think about how I as well, can be a “Good Samaritan” especially today. However, it also made me ponder on how I can live my life in regards to this as well.
Here are two life lessons that we can take away from this parable in regards to becoming a Good Samaritan:
ALWAYS look for opportunities to bless others and to show kindness to others.
The good Samaritan in this parable saw an opportunity right before him. He could of very easily kept on walking by, going on with his day, and fulfilling his errands. But instead, he was selfless and loving and made time for someone in need.
Examples for us mama’s: Pay for a mother’s cup of coffee while you are in the drive-thru. Or how about lending a mom a hand when she is in the grocery store and trying to keep all of her children in line, WHILE she is also trying to mark off everything on her grocery list and shop.
What is holding you back from complimenting or encouraging a mother you see that is out and about with her kids, and telling her she is doing an amazing job? So often I believe we are just too busy to see opportunities to bless others, that are before us each and every day. I understand that struggle! With being a mother as well, I can understand being so consumed by my own children while we are running errands, that unfortunately, the last thing I am thinking about is taking care of someone else’s needs. However, I believe that if we are intentional about blessing others today, and for days to come throughout our lives, not only will it fill up our own hearts, but it will set such a beautiful example for our children. In my opinion, nothing is more important than teaching your children to be selfless, gracious, and loving toward others, like the Good Samaritan.
Love relentlessly
Love with no judgment, and love with no limitations. The Good Samaritan knew how the Jew felt about him. He knew the labels the Jews had placed on him of being unclean and inferior to them. He knew he was an outcast, and he knew he was hated. Yet, despite all of those awful labels that this Samaritan man had to deal with and live with every single day, he decided to cast his feelings aside of probably hurt and anger toward the Jew(s), and he decided to love on the Jew that was in need before him. He loved this Jew relentlessly. He loved this Jew without casting any judgment on him. And he loved this Jew with no limitations or restrictions. He dropped the hatred and accusations in that moment, and just loved.
How many times have we looked at another mother out and about with her kids, and accused her of being some “type” of mother, just by looking at her, or watching her interact with her kids. How many times have we judged each other on social media as we see a mother who parents differently than we do? How many times have we not reached out to a mother in need because we don’t share the same beliefs as them, or we don’t exactly see eye to eye with them? In this life, we will always have disagreements, different opinions, and different ways of living. At the end of the day, none of these differences are strong enough to diminish our opportunity of still loving one another.
You can disagree with a mom but still bless her. You can have a completely different view of parenting than a mom, but still show kindness to her. You can have a completely different faith or belief than another mom, but still show grace and love to her. It is time to drop the labels, accusations, and judgment, and instead to build a community of supportive, beautiful mothers who can shape this world and rock this world with its love. And it is time to showcase this type of love and kindness to other moms in the world, so that way the next generation, that we are raising, will carry this torch throughout their lifetime. Just love, mama.
I hope you spread some love and kindness, as we celebrate National Good Samaritan day today. Most of all, I hope that you make this idea of being a Good Samaritan an anthem over your life and your children’s lives. Let us always keep our eyes open for opportunities to bless those around us. And let us always love relentlessly in pursuit of making this a better world for our children.
Now let’s go start this movement, mamas!
