Another Form of Love!

This morning, I was blessed to read the story of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25–37. It’s a story of compassion. A man is attacked by robbers, beaten, and left on the side of the road. A priest passes by. Then a Levite. Both see him, and both keep walking. Then a Samaritan, a man from a group that was often despised comes across him. He stops. He treats his wounds, places him on his donkey, takes him to an inn or a hotel, and pays for his care.

It’s a story we often hear as a call to kindness. To help. To show love, regardless of differences.

What stood out for me in this story is the reminder to love/support /help beyond our differences. To not measure who deserves help based on where they come from, what they believe, how they look, their level of education or how they live. The Samaritan didn’t ask questions. He simply responded to a need.

A question came to mind. What does it really mean to help well?

Because the Samaritan helped but we are not told that he stayed with the man forever. He didn’t take him to his home permanently. He didn’t make himself responsible for the rest of his life. He gave what was needed in that moment: care, safety, provision. And then he left him in a place where he could recover.

Now I wonder, are we meant to help people or to be helped endlessly? What is the right way to love and help?

I think many of us struggle with that balance. We want to be kind. We want to show up for people. But sometimes, in trying to help, we end up carrying what was never meant for us to carry long-term.

And when I think about the life of Jesus, I don’t see him saying yes to everything. I see someone who loved deeply but also stepped away, challenged people, and sometimes refused what was being asked of Him.

There were moments He withdrew from the crowds, even when people were still looking for Him. Times when people followed Him for more food, more miracles, etc…but sometimes he shifted the conversation or moved to a different city to share the gospel to other people as well. It wasn’t a lack of love. It was a different kind of love, a love that doesn’t just respond but also redirects.

I see this even in the smallest, most human moments.

Think for example of a parent with a baby who is learning to walk. At first, the parent holds their hands, supports every step, makes sure they don’t fall. But there comes a moment when the parent slowly lets go.

I guess it is not easy to see your tiny human struggling. Sometimes they fall. And the parent is right there, watching, it’s almost painful to see. Every instinct says, “Hold them again. Make it easier.”

But if the parent keeps holding on, the child may take longer to walk on their own. So the parent steps back. Not because they don’t care but because they do so much!

That moment, as difficult as it is, is love in another form.

And maybe that’s what the Samaritan shows us, in a quiet way. He didn’t ignore the man. He didn’t pass by. He gave what was necessary. But he also didn’t take over the man’s life. He helped him stand a chance to live again.

Maybe loving well is not about doing everything for someone but about doing enough for them to continue on their own. Maybe it’s about knowing when your help is healing and when it might be holding someone back. Because sometimes, the hardest part of love is letting go just enough for someone else to grow. There is the kind of love that says “yes” and steps in and there is the kind of love that says “no” and steps back.

Both can be right. Both can be necessary.

And maybe real wisdom is learning when to do each.

After all the most important is to CHOOSE YOUR BALANCE as this site name suggests.