Samaritan to the 'Fallen'

By Lisa VanDoorne, homegroup leader. Such a wonderful example of how we can Start>

It was a beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon; the day before Easter. I was driving down a major hillside thoroughfare when I saw her. A woman walking a large dog stumbled and fell facedown into the dirt. She wasn’t moving. I pulled off the road and surveyed the situation in about four seconds. She was muddy, she had a large, mangy husky on a short leash. She wasn’t moving and then, suddenly, she was. She raised her head and at that moment I could see the blood. Her hair was matted and muddy and she was bleeding from a wound in her head. Call it the fact that our family has been steeped in Good Friday stories all week, but I could see Jesus in her face. Jesus on the cross; dirty, and bloody and alone.
I stepped out of the car, my scrambled brain forgetting to turn off the key or close the door, and hollered at her. I was scared of the dog, though I quickly found out I had no reason to be. Based on how dirty she was, I don’t think that was her first fall of the day. I slowly approached and tried asking how I could help and soon, (and fortunately) two other women, out enjoying a walk on a sunny day joined us. Between the three of us, we managed to learn her address, which was a short walk down a side street. One Samaritan ran ahead to the woman’s house while the other Samaritan and I picked the woman up from the side of the road.
She could not stand by herself. She would not let go of the dog who was apparently a source of support for her. She gripped my hand tightly. Her knuckles were bleeding. By the time we got her home my hands were muddy and my heart was pounding.
What happened that day to cause the woman to be found on the side of the road? Was she falling-down drunk? Was she in a diabetic shock? I don’t know how the story ends. A man met us outside the well-kept house and one of the Samaritans helped her in. I spent a few minutes out on the driveway chatting with the remaining helper and soon drove away, praying through my tears.
The previous evening, our homegroup followed the ‘Start>Becoming a Good Samaritan’ study focusing on Justice and Reconciliation. We are really enjoying the series and it opens up a good deal of spirited discussion. Talking later, Roland and I were thankful for the way God was moving in our group. One person shared their gratitude for the group and for the timing of it. Another shared his testimony in a simple and moving manner. It is a blessed comfort to meet with these people each week, but the truth of the matter is, we are called to take our faith out to the streets. God was moving even in the efforts of three strangers to walk a ‘fallen’ woman home. I am only grateful to have been a small part of it.