The People God Puts in Your Path
Devotional week 36
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” Luke 10:33 (NIV)
Most days are full before they even begin. There are meetings, messages, deadlines and decisions waiting for us, and it is easy to move through them focused on what needs to be accomplished. In the process, the people around us can become almost invisible: colleagues we pass, clients we speak to, neighbours we barely know.
Yet Jesus tells us to pay attention.
In Luke 10, a man asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” He seems to be looking for a limit to his responsibility. Jesus answers with the story of a man beaten and left on the roadside. A priest and a Levite see him but keep going. Then a Samaritan comes along. He stops, cares for the man's wounds and allows someone else's need to change the course of his day.
The Samaritan had not planned for any of this. He was simply going about his day.
I was reminded of this recently by something that happened to my wife, who works in leadership development. She noticed that one of the women she worked with was struggling with her performance. But she also noticed something deeper: the woman herself was not doing well. So my wife spoke with her about what was happening at work, while also telling her that she could see she was struggling personally. She reminded her that she believed in her potential and offered to help in whatever way she could.
The next day, the woman thanked her and said that what my wife had done was very important because “you saw me and welcomed me in the middle of my problem.”
There is something powerful about being seen when we are struggling. We can easily become defined by our performance, our mistakes or our circumstances, while what we really need is someone willing to see the person behind them.
We often imagine that God's purposes are found in the big opportunities and important moments. But sometimes they are hidden in ordinary encounters we never planned for.
The colleague who needs someone to listen. The new employee who feels out of place. The neighbour who is lonely. The person whose work is suffering because something deeper is happening in their life.
We cannot always choose who crosses our path, but we can choose whether we will truly see them. Following Jesus means learning to look beyond roles, performance and behaviour, and recognising the person in front of us.
Jesus finishes the story by telling us to “go and do likewise.” Perhaps the person God puts in your path today is not an interruption to your plans, but an invitation to love your neighbour.
Challenge
Today, ask God to help you notice someone you might normally overlook. Slow down, listen and take one simple step towards them.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to the people around me. Help me to look beyond appearances, roles and performance, and recognise the person in front of me. Give me patience to listen, humility to make room for others and courage to respond with love. May the ordinary encounters of my day become opportunities to reflect Your grace. Amen.
A Tent International Devotional