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When I think of women in the Bible...
Luke 10:30- 37
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
When you read the above passage, which character would you picture to be a woman. I mean, I know it's written that they're men, but which one seems to relate to a woman the most...?
It's my guess that most people reading this passage would view the Good Samaritan as the female in the story. She would show mercy. She would assist where she could... And I don't dispute that. Women do have it in their hearts to be merciful, that I do not doubt. I'm not saying men don't, but I am here to talk about women. :)
However, a few moments ago, on wondering what woman I could find in the Bible, to write about in order to encourage women, it was this verse that came to me, and what God impressed upon my heart this time was not the merciful heart but the one who was "...stripped...of...clothing, wounded..." and left "half dead." It was this soul that God reflected to me the heart of women.
While there are many women out there being merciful, and loving the best they can, many of them are actually the wounded heart left for dead, but doing the best they can to deny it. They're trying to function as the Good Samaritan while inside they're dying. Their heart is to "go and do likewise" but they're broken, they're wounded, they've been left for dead... and they are secretly crying, or dying, on the inside.
In this scenario, Jesus is the Good Samaritan. He sees your brokenness. He has come across you laying broken on the road and left for dead... He has found you.
Jesus knows your heart. He knows you are merciful. He knows you are the Good Samaritan in the lives of many. But He knows there is a time of rest and of healing. He knows you've been broken, wounded and stripped... Now it's time to let Him heel you...
You've been "stripped" of hope, love, acceptance, dignity and more...
You've been "wounded" in more ways than you can count...
Through someone's "departure" you've suffered abandonment...
And you, more than anyone else, know your heart feels as though it has been left for dead...
You want to be the Good Samaritan, but you know your heart is slowly dying... as is your confidence and your hope...
Jesus sees this. The Good Samaritan role is yours, and you will do that soon enough, but, just for now, He sees your wounds, and He wants to heal them. He seeks to restore all to you that 'man' and life has stripped you of... All you have to do is let Him... Let Him into your heart, and He can restore it completely...