Providing For Another’s Needs

care - Providing for Another’s Needs

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, . . . brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:34

The Savior tells the story of a man who is robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious men of the day walk past the injured man without offering help, but a man from Samaria takes pity on him and offers aid. The Samaritan bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn, and provides for his continued care.

What did the Samaritan man have that the religious leaders lacked? What motivated him? I (David) think it was that the Samaritan had encountered the miraculous love of God and that he had never “gotten over” the wonder of God’s abundant care for him. He was forever mindful and grateful for what God had done for him, and that motivated him to care for others.

Are we still grateful for what God has done for us? Though we were still in sin, God selflessly gave His Son. Christ humbled Himself and left heaven to become a servant on our behalf because His provision and care were exactly what we needed. He gave forgiveness, acceptance, love, and purpose in life.

Like the Samaritan, I can become genuinely sensitive to the needs of others—particularly my spouse—by being mindful that I am a blessed recipient of God’s abundant provision.

It’s sobering to think that I hold within me the “provisions” Teresa needs: acceptance, security, comfort, and other things a spouse is called to provide. To share these blessings with her is to care for her. On the other hand, to withhold these provisions or to be insensitive to her needs is to behave just like the religious men of the Samaritan story, who ignored the needs of the injured man and thought only of themselves.

In what specific ways might God want you to care for and provide for your spouse today?