My Own Good Samaritan Story

Posted On July 31, 2022

“But a Samaritan who was traveling came upon him;
and when he noticed the man, he felt compassion.”

Luke 10:33 TLV

My husband and I just returned from our summer vacation. We had planned an RV trip to Florida to explore various towns and beaches we had never visited. Well, let’s just say everything did NOT go as planned, but we still made it to Florida and we had a wonderful time. The entire saga is probably a subject for a future post, but this week I want to talk about the first unexpected thing that happened. It’s what I’m calling my own “good Samaritan” story. I will let you experience it the way my family did — by reading the text messages I sent to keep everyone updated:

9:33 AM
We just hit the road. We plan to stop for lunch, so we’re estimating we’ll get to the campground between 4:00 and 4:30.

Dad
Ok have fun.

Rebekah
Have a safe trip!

On our first day of travel, before we ever even left our home state, we ended up on the side of the highway with a flat on our (single-axle) RV trailer. We had a spare, but not a heavy-duty jack. We weren’t too worried because we’ve been members of the AAA auto club for years. My husband’s parents gave us our first year’s membership as a gift soon after we got married, and we’ve been renewing it ever since.

However, what we didn’t realize (and never thought to check) is that there are different tiers of coverage. Apparently, we should have upgraded when we bought our first RV. As it turned out, changing a tire on our vehicle would have been covered, but changing a tire on the travel trailer was not. It was our mistake, but sitting stranded on the side of the road in over 100-degree heat was not the ideal way to find this out! The AAA representative on the phone was very nice and even looked up the number of a local tow company for us, but that was all she could do…

12:02 PM
Just got a flat on the RV trailer, so we’re going to be delayed. AAA said we don’t have coverage on the RV, so we called a tow company. Their tire changing service starts at $300. I’ll keep you updated.

Rebekah
Oh no

Mom
Good grief…I am so sorry…

Mom
Maybe there’s a reason for the delay…?

As we sat on the side of the road, wondering how long it would take the tow truck driver to arrive and worrying about how much it was going to cost, a small and somewhat beat-up car pulled in behind us on the shoulder of the highway. An older man wearing worn out clothes got out of the car. He said he had a heavy-duty jack and would be happy to help us change the tire. We gratefully accepted his offer and called back the tow company to cancel.

Because of the busy road and the fact that the flat was on the driver’s side, it was dangerous to lay under the RV. But he willingly did it. He and my husband had a lot of trouble getting the RV jacked up high enough to get the old tire off and the new tire on. The RV even slipped off the jack once, which was very scary. But this man kept at it, sweating in the heat, while I nervously kept an eye on the oncoming traffic. Because he had a bad back, he had to stop and take a break at one point. But finally, thankfully, the tire was changed…

12:54 PM
Good Samaritan stopped to help us. We are on our way to the next town to buy new tires.

Rebekah
That’s awesome!

Dad
What a blessing. Did they help change the tire?

1:00 PM
Yes, he had a jack and he crawled under the RV trying to get it jacked up… it took several attempts. He didn’t look very well off so I gave him $100 for his trouble. He was definitely a Godsend!

Mom
God is good.

Dad
Great!

We never got this man’s name, but we are still beyond grateful for his willingness to help us! And I feel confident the Lord was working through him. I also wouldn’t be surprised if, somehow, he just happened to need $100 that day. Why do I think this? Keep reading…

Here is a text I sent to my family four days later:

8:11 AM
I’m catching up on my journaling and I just realized something. On July 7 the devotional from the YouVersion Bible app was about giving and being generous, so I interpreted that to mean I should make a donation to Samaritan’s Purse. The number I had in mind was $200, but for some reason when I went online that evening to actually make the donation I only gave $100. I’m not really sure why.

Later I kept thinking that I still “owed” another $100. I wasn’t thinking about any of this, however, when the man changed our tire on the side of the road. I just wanted to give him some money for his trouble. I initially had pulled out $50 and put it in my pocket, waiting to give it to him when he was done. But then after seeing how hard he was working and that he was driving a beat-up car and wearing old clothes, I went back to my purse and got another $50 (wiping out all but $12 of my cash). I ended up giving him $100.

Then later it hit me that that was the other $100 that I “owed” to Samaritan’s Purse. I think I told some of you this much already, but here’s what hit me this morning as I was making notes about all of it in my journal: When I was updating everyone about our tire situation, I kept referring to the man as a “good Samaritan,” so I literally put an extra $100 in the “Samaritan’s purse”! 😯😃

When she read my text about the flat tire, my mom replied, “Maybe there’s a reason for the delay…?” I think there was. I think this man was supposed to help us, and I think maybe we were supposed to help him, too.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2 ESV

This week’s Scripture passages instruct us how to become a “good Samaritan.” We are called to help each other and to shine the light of Christ to the world.  Helping those in need is one way we can fulfill this calling. To that end, I have included a link below to Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian relief organization I mentioned in my text. Helping others activates our faith in a way that brings blessings, not only to them, but to us as well. We will often be amazed at the way God is able to work through each one of us.

We are all traveling this road of life together, and we all break down sometimes. Let’s be willing to help each other however we can. Whether it’s changing a tire, offering someone a little cash, or serving in another way, may we have the opportunity to put our love into action today!

How-to-Be-a-Good-Samaritan-Scripture-PrintableDownload

“Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.”
To find out more, or to make a donation, click their logo above or click here.

” . . . if you feed those who are hungry
    and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,
then your light will shine in the darkness . . . “

Isaiah 58:10 NCV

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About The Author

Christa

My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!