²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
      Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

In re-reading the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), I also ask myself the question, “Who is my neighbor”?  What does it look like for me to love my neighbor?

• It may derail me from my current purpose or task.
• It means providing hands-on care, and my hands may get messy.
• It costs money and time.
• It may require me to follow up later.
• It means I may have less “oil and wine” (or it’s equivalent) for myself.
• It means I will have to work with others and rely on others.

How often do I sigh heavily when something pops up in the midst of my day which inconveniences me and requires something of me?  And what are the odds that I’m sighing at the work God has for me?  Sighing at God?