“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers attacked him. They stripped off his clothes and beat him. Then they went away, leaving him almost dead. A priest happened to be going down that same road. When he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. A Levite also came by. When he saw the man, he passed by on the other side too.
But a Samaritan came to the place where the man was. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him. He went to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey. He took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins. He gave them to the owner of the inn. ‘Take care of him,’ he said. ‘When I return, I will pay you back for any extra expense you may have.’Luke 10:30-35
This morning I read the parable of the Good Samaritan. What struck me as I was reading the story is how I identified with the man who was beat up and robbed and left half dead on the side of the road. The great thing about the parables of Jesus is that we can find ourselves in all of the characters at different times in our lives. Today I found myself in two characters.
First as the person half dead on the side of the road. This is how I have felt about my experience with the evangelical church. You see, I am a woman and when I made the decision to follow Jesus in my adolescent years, I had no idea where that would take me. The road that I have been traveling on has left me wounded. The hierarchal, male dominated, evangelical world has, at times, left me feeling half dead. I am not just a woman, I am a woman who aspired to leadership in the church. So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I was limited as a leader because of my gender. It seems that it was acceptable for me to lead as long as it was under the direction of my husband and we were leading together. In essence, I needed to be somewhat invisible.
So after many years of this oppressive situation, I decided to look outside of the church community to find my vocation. I became a school teacher and was pleasantly surprised at how much I was valued in that environment. This was a stark contrast to my experience in the church. So this was my new path and it worked quite well for a few years.
In 2005, our family moved to another state because of the tragic and sudden death of my brother-in-law. This life change caused me to take some time and seek God's direction for my life. I had heard about a ministry of spiritual direction and was curious to find out what this was all about. So I went to a week long school of spiritual direction with Dr. Larry Crabb in Colorado. He told me that if I wanted to be a Spiritual Director vocationally then I would need to be credentialed. So the next step was for me to attend George Fox Evangelical Seminary. To be honest, I never intended to look toward the church again for affirmation or calling vocationally.
I spent my years in seminary looking closely at how God sees women and how God sees me. I also met with a Spiritual Director. Over the years, I have met with a few Spiritual Directors and have found healing and wholeness for my soul. They have been my Good Samaritans.
You see, the thing about the Samaritans is that they were outside of the temple. The Jewish community hated them and so for the Samaritan to be the hero was an assault to the Jews listening to this story. I did not find empowerment from my previous Pastors (the priest in the parable), instead I got beat up. I was told that I was ambitious and impatient and as a woman, I would never be one of them. I did not find empowerment from the elders in my church (the Levite in the parable) instead I was ignored. I admit that I was ambitious and that I can be very impatient sometimes. I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a man of great patience and yet understood that patience does not mean accepting injustice anywhere you find it. When you point out injustice, you make enemies.
- Montgomery, Alabama, December 5, 1955
I did find empowerment through meeting with my Spiritual Directors. These woman and men helped me to see who I am and who God is. They listened to me and shed light on my life. They were the mercy of God to me.
I have been patiently waiting for the evangelical church to see the injustice that is inflicted on women when it comes to leadership. I am tired of arguing over the word pastor and elder. I read a book written by Eugene Peterson several years ago and he defined the true calling of a pastor is first and foremost to be a Spiritual Director.
So the second person that I relate to in this parable is the Good Samaritan. As a woman in the church I have found myself as an outsider looking in. I have not found the church to be very open and receptive to the ministry of spiritual direction which is essentially a one on one pastoral ministry. I tend to be an idealist and my dream is for the church to catch the vision for the ministry of spiritual direction. However, this has not deterred me from the ministry itself. God has brought me spiritual seekers who are hungry for God and desire to go deeper in their spiritual lives. I now have the privilege of walking with people in the ministry of spiritual direction as a Director. As I sit with individuals and listen to their story unfold, I see the spirit of God transform their lives. I see God bring freedom, and healing to their souls. I see the power of God's love move mountains. I love this ministry and I am blessed by every person that walks through my door to meet with me. When you listen to the heart of another you are entering holy ground. God is the true director in these times and I am a participant. I am grateful to every person that has invited me into this space with them as they journey toward healing and wholeness. I am thankful for my directors who showed me the love, kindness and compassion of Jesus and ushered in healing to my soul.
Jesus told this parable in response to the question of how to receive eternal life. He answered by telling them to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. The ministry of spiritual direction offers us the opportunity to reflect upon our lives and see how this is or is not a reality in our lives. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within you. So to take the inward journey is to find the kingdom of God.
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