April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GOOD NEWS FOR KIDS
Trying something new
Jesus, help me forget my fears and try new things all the time! Amen.
A man said to Jesus, "So, I'm supposed to love my neighbor - who's my neighbor?" Jesus told a story: "A Jewish man was beaten and left to die. A priest came by but wouldn't help. A religious man didn't stop, either. Then a Samaritan man came, and even though his people were enemies of the Jews, he helped the hurt man." Jesus asked, "Who was the Jewish man's neighbor?" The man who questioned Jesus said, "The one who helped." "You do the same thing," Jesus said.
Have you ever been tricked into trying a new food? You're halfway through dinner when your mom says, "There's spinach in that." You'd never eat spinach if it was offered to you, but now, you've already eaten it!
Sometimes, the best way to try something new is to just plunge in, instead of letting yourself think about it. Once you're in the middle of eating spinach, you might find out it's a good thing.
That works for other new things, too. In this week's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37), a man is badly hurt and two people walk by without helping him. It's easy to imagine them thinking, "I'd help, but I'm in a hurry....I'm afraid of blood....People might think I'm crazy...."
Then a third person comes along. Jesus doesn't say this man stops and thinks about whether to help; he just jumps in and helps.
Trying something without letting yourself worry about whether you'll like it or be good at it or what other people will think is a great idea. The Samaritan man's people were enemies of the Jews, and the man who'd been hurt was Jewish. If the Samaritan had thought about that, he may not have helped. Instead, he did something new: just helping, without considering who he was helping.
The Samaritan man was an example of a good neighbor - someone who can be depended on, who doesn't judge. It's not too late for you to try that new attitude, too. Once you get used to trying new things without worrying about it, you might even learn to love spinach![[In-content Ad]]
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