Gò0dNews for Everyone
What’s Your Sign?
H
by Beth Penny
ave you ever gotten behind a car with the sign
beliefs and disparate cultures. Is that so foreign to us now?
“Student Driver” or “Learning to Drive a Stick”?
No matter the color, race, belief, or actions, God calls us
Sometimes, we even see signs that say “Roadwork
to love one another. He has set an example for us to give
Ahead.” “Expect Delays.” Are we more patient when
His unconditional love and mercy to those around us. The
we see those signs because we are given the caveat that
“what if” is in the backs of our minds. What if they did
something is out of the norm? I like to think I am patient
this? What if they don’t deserve it? What if they don’t show
with delays that I know are coming. Would I have been as patient with the car in front of me if I hadn’t seen the sign? Maybe not. This makes me consider life. Are we this patient with people around us? We only see the outward; we don’t see what burdens a person is carrying with them everywhere he or she goes. Not everyone wears signs: Getting Divorced, Overslept, Fight with Spouse, Child Forgot Bookbag and Lunch for the 43rd Time, Lost a Loved One, Scared of Upcoming Surgery. Would our world be different if everyone wore a sign on their sleeve for what they were silently suffering through? Would we be more patient, understanding, forgiving, if we knew? We think of the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37 as a children’s Sunday School story or a story saved for Vacation Bible School. In fact, as adults, I think
kindness? What if they are a sinner? Guess what? We are all
we need to be reminded of this one as well. The fact was
sinners, and no sin is greater than any other sin.
that Jews did not like Samaritans. It was a deep-seated
God didn’t set limitations on His mercy for us: why
and longstanding quarrel that led back to the division of
do we set limitations on our mercy for others? Matthew
Judah and Israel, way back when the 12 tribes of Jacob were
25:37-40 tells us, “Then the righteous will answer him,
fighting amongst themselves. Luke describes the way a man
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty
was robbed, beaten, and left for dead along the side of the
and give you something to drink? When did we see you a
road. Every person who walked by went clearly to the other
stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe
side of the road. The one person who would have been the
you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit
last person for a compassionate rescue was the Samaritan
you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you
man. He had no reason at all to show kindness that day
did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
to someone he had been ingrained to hate for actually no
you did for me.’”
definable reason. Centuries later, do we have to have a reason? As a
Again, we don’t know what someone is carrying around with them. We shouldn’t have to see the signs to treat others with mutual respect. So I’ll leave with one
that there seems to be no way to see over the mountains
thought: Be kind, always.
of distrust and disrespect that we have built. The Jews and the Samaritans were different people with contrasting
20 // April 2021
About The Author
people, as communities, as countries, we are so divided
Beth Penny has taught English at Model High School since 1997. There she is also the Yearbook adviser and the Special Education Department Chair. She and her husband, Chad, have four children.
