Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  Luke 10:30 NLT

Recently, in our community, an elderly man with dementia, wandered from his home at night and ended up lying down to sleep on some nearby railroad tracks. Too often, stories like his end in tragedy, but thanks to the family’s call to the sheriff’s department, and an aviation unit with night vision cameras, he was found and brought safely home. I thank God for the good news in this story, but his case reminds me that there are millions more who need our help. Though it may feel hopeless, pointless and just plain inconvenient, their lives are an opportunity for us to love our neighbors, like both the Hillsborough Sheriff’s department and the good Samaritan.

First, both the Samaritan and the deputies, remind us that every person is worth finding. No one should be left by the side of the road alone. Too often we, spend time praying for God to help us serve Him, yet pass right by people He leaves directly in our path. Secondly, they spared no resources in their search You might say, “Well they had a helicopter, an ambulance and a team of paramedics, how can I help?” Well the Samaritan had only oil, wine and a donkey, and he got the job done! When we use what we have, God has a funny way of making it be enough, (remember those 5 loaves and 2 fish?) Last of all, the Samaritan had compassion for the man. He was different in every way, culturally, racially and in his religion, but he treated Him as a neighbor.

Is there a family you know, with a loved one who battles with dementia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease? Maybe you could start getting to know them. Say hello over the backyard fence, offer your services to sit with their loved one while they go to the store or leave your phone number to be called in an emergency. Every situation and every person has a different set of needs. If you don’t personally know someone, there is very likely a facility near you that would love to have more people willing to visit. You can bring cards for Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day or drop off a small gift basket for the weary staff, who care for them 24/7. According to the CDC there are currently 5.8 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Thank God for first responders of all types who intervene daily, in helping people, just like our local man. But the truth of the matter is that the job is too big for just the police, fire department and paramedics to handle. We as God’s people must be willing to come close, see them with eyes of compassion and do what we can with what we have to help. I have posted the link below, if you would like to check out our local news story for yourself.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-county-missing-man-dementia-brandon-aviation-railroad-tracks