Friday, June 5, 2015

The Good Samaritan


Psalm 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

I'm sitting on my deck, sipping my morning coffee, enjoying the scenery, and blissfully listening to the rhapsody of bird song when my phone rings.  I glance at the caller source before I answer.  Oh, yes!  A call from my son!

"Hi, Daniel, what's going on?"

"This isn't Daniel," says an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line.  "I was out jogging and found this phone along the path.  Luckily, it wasn't locked.  When I found the contact for 'Mom,' I thought I might just have a chance to return it to its rightful owner."

"Yes, yes, this is 'Mom,'" I say enthusiastically and gratefully.  "I'm so glad you contacted me.  My son, Daniel, just got this phone and I can't believe it somehow escaped his pocket.  Thank goodness you found it!"

"Yes, ma'am, how can I get it back to him?"

"Do you know where the Brick Store Pub is in Decatur?  That's where he works."

"Yes, ma'am, I know exactly where that is.  It will be this afternoon, though, before I can drop it by."

"Oh, that will be fine.  I'll contact them and let them know you will be coming by with the phone.  How I appreciate your willingness to do the right thing.  My son's phone is his chief source of communication.  I don't know what he'd do without it."

"It's my pleasure, ma'am," he says.

"You are a blessing,"  I tell him, "a true blessings.  I can't thank you enough."

I hang up with a smile on my face.  It would have been so easy for this young man to keep the phone for himself or sell it to someone else.  Instead, he chooses to do the right thing even if it means going out of his way.  I think to myself:  That is one child who's been raised right from the get-go.  How the world could use more folks like him!

~

Do you have a Good Samaritan story to share?

Prayer:  Father, today I ask You to bless this young man and others like him who choose to do the right thing when the world is tempting them not to.  May we all be Good Samaritans whenever circumstances call for us to be.  In Jesus' name, amen.

15 comments:

  1. Martha it feels so good to hear this story and yes you rightly said this was one person who was raised on the right values. It is so important to be righteous and unfortunately these days the values have gone down by a very large extent. Amidst all of them such people surely define hope, that all is not gone down yet. There is still some goodness left in this world.

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    1. Yes, Privy, people like this young man do, indeed, define hope for this world. It is all to easy to become jaded when we see all the evil things happening around us, but this one small gesture by one person who knows right from wrong made my heart sing. May God bless and keep those like him!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Hi Martha! What a beautiful story of honesty! He could have just walked right by that phone, or worse, took it and sold it.
    I wrote about my Good Samaritan story a while ago. I left my iPAD at a Panera by mistake, and didn't remember that I did that for over an hour. I was so upset! But whoever found it, turned it in. God is so good, and so are his people. We are so blessed to have the 'good ones' find our property.

    It's no accident either. I think grace was definitely in the mix for both of us!
    Weekend blessings,
    Ceil

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    1. Wow, Ceil! Your Good Samaritan story is amazing, too. And I'm with you - grace was, indeed, in both incidents, and we can both be so thankful for that!
      Love and blessings!

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  3. How badly we need these kind of reminders that there are still some good people in this world, christian or not. One never knows what they will encounter being a good Samaritan either, the few times I have acted on that have always been a positive experience. Blessings.

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    1. Yes, Betty, we sure do need those good people touching our lives, especially when the world celebrates those who don't do the right thing. I'm glad to know when you've had that opportunity to be the Good Samaritan, those experiences were uplifting. :)
      Love and blessings!

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  4. How badly we need these kind of reminders that there are still some good people in this world, christian or not. One never knows what they will encounter being a good Samaritan either, the few times I have acted on that have always been a positive experience. Blessings.

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  5. Martha, Thank you for sharing this story. It's comforting to know that people are still around who do the right thing. I've been blessed to meet youth who seem to know how to relate to others in a way that some times escapes people more than twice their age! There are still guys out there who open doors for ladies. :)

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Oh, and praise those who still open doors for ladies! :) It is a gesture I truly treasure and brought my son up to do the same, as well as other polite gestures. I'm glad you've met young people who have a sense of right over wrong.
      Today as we helped my son get his new car, I found out that the young man who actually found and returned his phone (which I now know feel out of a backpack pocket) is a professional piano teacher and tuner. Daniel thanked him by buying him a meal at the restaurant. I was so gratified to hear that!
      Love and blessings!

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  6. What a neat story and reminder that there still are a lot of good honest people in the world. Too often we only see the bad. I think one good sam story sort of I best remember is when the kids were young and we were eating out at a fast food restaurant. you know how crazy kids can be in public but this was a rare time of good manners and lots of laughter. An older couple stopped at our table on their way out and complimented the kids on their behavior. Gave me hope maybe as parents we would make it out alive from that phrase/season in life. A kind word at the right time. Thanks for helping me remember that story, Martha.

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    1. Oh, that's a wonderful story, Jean. I remember those days all too well, though most of the time my kids were pretty good when we were in public, not so much at home. :)
      And yes, there are many good people in this world and for that I am so thankful.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. The part I love about this story and what we can apply to our lives, Martha - is that when you pick up a phone or object that's not yours or someone else's anything - just call Mom - you'll find the answers and the solutions!! lol In our lives, we can just call on our heavenly Father - no matter what the situation, circumstance or new environment we find ourselves in. I'm happy for your son - our entire lives are in these phones these days:)

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    1. Vishnu, that is quite the observation.! :) Yes, our moms have the answers most of the time, but our Father in Heaven has them all of the time. I'm so happy for Daniel, too. He's been going through a rough patch in his life right now and didn't need insult added to injury. So glad this young man made Daniel's day.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Such a lovely thing to happen, Martha. Not only was this guy so honest, he showed great presence of mind too! He truly is a blessing! May his tribe increase and may we be among them! ;)

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    1. It was amazing, Corinne, and I, like you, hope his tribe increases by leaps and bounds!
      Love and blessings!

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