Anyone can be a good neighbor
While a selfless deed done for another is always inspiring, a spiritual perspective shows us it doesn’t need to be out of the ordinary.
A good Samaritan. It’s a phrase commonly used to describe someone who has gone out of their way to help a stranger. The care that’s expressed in this sort of situation can feel extraordinary.
However, when Jesus was sharing the parable of the good Samaritan, there was an expectation that anyone could and should care for others in the same way. His own uninhibited compassion was the perfect illustration of the rule he commended to all, God’s law of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Following a law certainly shouldn’t be exceptional.
Through Christian Science, many have felt impelled to help those around them even in situations when it felt difficult or uncomfortable to do so. Knowing that the Father-Mother of us all is the all-good God, and that we are expressions of this divine goodness, helps break through barriers to being a loving neighbor to those in need.
Here are several examples from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society that show how we can all be good Samaritans:
In “Loving our neighbor, or just ‘walking by’?” the author shows that when we think of everyone as our neighbor, we’re more ready and able to help those in need.
Helping our neighbor – yes, even our neighbors in jail – can look like sharing the truth of who they are as a child of God, as “Something we can all do to defuse violence” expresses.
In “Being a good Samaritan,” the author shares how seeing those around us as made in the likeness of God, good, can bring peace and comfort to heated situations.
“The power behind brotherly love” explores the great significance of divine Love-impelled kindness and generosity.