"I Wasn't Going to Stop..."

We've all been there.

We see the text we haven't answered.

We notice someone struggling.

We think about checking in...

...and then life gets busy.

This episode isn't about guilt. It's about asking an honest question:

What does loving people like Jesus actually look like?

Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, we'll talk about compassion, inconvenience, and why faith is more than something we believe—it's something we live.

Sis, this conversation isn't about doing more.

It's about becoming someone whose heart looks a little more like Jesus'.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Come closer.

SPEAKER_03 0:14

Come closer. You are welcome here. Lay your burdens down. Lay your worries down. There is room for you. There is grace for you. Finding truth. Finding peace. Finding a way. Step by step, day by day.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Honestly, this is like the one and only voice. I hope you're hearing. But um, today's episode is a little bit repetitive of like probably something you've heard before about like the Good Samaritan. I don't know if you thought that was something that just people said, but it actually comes from the Bible. So we're gonna talk about that parable today. We are still in the book of Luke. Luke's got a lot of good information, y'all. So if you got a spare little five or ten and you want to do some self-uh searching, you go right ahead, ma'am. And I would say the theme for today is that true love is not just something we say, but it's actually something that we can choose to live out. And um, the main scripture, if you want to just go ahead and get your bookmarks and do your Bible and stuff like that. Like I said, I'm gonna try to go ahead and tell you guys what the scripture is before the episode is released. So if you do want to follow along with me while you're listening, you can do that. But um, we're still up and running. It's a one-moment show. Give me some grace, go ahead and talk to HR. HR is me, ha ha. But the uh main scripture is Luke chapter 10, verses 25 through 37. Again, that is Luke chapter 10, verse 25 through 37, and I always suggest reading in the AMP version or the NASB or NIMV if you're a more modern girly, want some um more comfortable verbiage that's easier to understand. And then we've got two supporting scriptures that I'm gonna get into a little bit later, but I'll give you the scripture themselves. The first one is first John 3 18, and the second is James 2, 17. Again, that is 1 John chapter 3, verse 18, and then the second one is James 2, 17. So, as always, I'm gonna give you my signature welcome with my jazz hands that you can't see. I am always glad that you're here. I'm always glad that you chose to listen to my podcast because I greatly appreciate that. This is a place where we slow down, where we open God's word, and where we have honest conversations about real life. And this is also a place where we talk about faith beyond the surface level. We're getting to the nitty-gritty. I'm not getting exactly in your business, but I'm gonna have an idea if that makes sense. That's where we're at in that gray area right there. We're gonna be talking about the things that we wrestle with, the questions we may not or don't want to ask out loud or say out loud, and what it really looks like to follow Jesus in our everyday lives with the perfections included. Because, honey, the walk with Christ is not what Instagram has showed you or TikTok. Hate to ruin it for you or burst that bubble, but it's not. So, whether you're listening while you're getting ready, you're driving, put both hands on the wheel, ma'am, and slow it down. Um, or you might be cleaning your house, or you know, just taking a quiet moment for yourself. I hope you feel like you're sitting down with a friend that just happens to be me, even if you don't know me. Hey girl. So grab your Bible, grab your journal if you have one. I know all my girlies do because we love something right on, and we're still gonna buy another one if we see one that's cute. And let's just get into today's conversation. And as always, we're gonna go right into my disclaimer. If this is your first episode, I'm always gonna say this just because I feel like it needs to be said, and I don't want anybody to take me too too serious. Before we begin, I always want to remind you that everything I share comes from my personal study of scripture, my prayers with God, and my understanding of God's word. I am not Einstein, I don't know what my IQ score is on the SATs. I did pretty good, but I am not Miss No at all. I am learning, and we are all students here. There is no teacher at the front of the board, nobody's up front. We're all students here, so please take what I say with your heart. And I always want you to go to the word for yourself, to open up your own Bible, study God's word for yourself, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you grow through your faith. I don't have every answer, I won't claim to have every answer, and I never want my words to replace your own relationship with God. So, with that being said, we're gonna get into our first little segment called Let's Get Honest. And I just want to start off by asking you something, just a little question. It's not a survey, just a little question. Have you ever been so tired that you didn't have the emotional capacity to care about one more thing? Like, not even what you were gonna eat. Because I know I've been there. Sometimes I be getting uh off of work and I'm just like, man, fire up a bowl of lucky charms for all I care. Man, I be so emotionally just overwhelmed and over it with the day, or like you just don't even want to go home. I don't know if everybody's been there, but like say you get off of work and you just want to ride. You just you just want to forget about your regular life for a second and just ride and see where it takes you or something. Like, I feel like we've always like we've all been there at some point in time. It's just like you just don't even care no more. You just like, let's just see what happens. Let's spice it up a little bit, let's just use that free will. But it's like you might love people, you want to be kind, you want to give your best customer service voice, and you want to show up, but life really be life, and it's just like, girl, I don't have it in me no more. And even when it comes to your own responsibilities, they can be heavy. These bills, these subscriptions, I feel like they charge for everything now. I don't know if it's just me or not, but I feel like they charge you just to have the subscription. They oh my gosh, don't even get me started. But your own responsibilities can be heavy, your own heart needs attention, but you just keep putting that on the back burner too. And sometimes when somebody else needs something from you, it's just like, man, you don't move on. This is not the time, this is not the time. But in your mind, you might be saying, Lord, I really don't have it in me today. I don't have it in me today. Try me again next week. Try me in three calendar days, three business days if you want. And honestly, I think a lot of us can relate to that feeling because loving people sounds beautiful, sounds great when you see it on Love Island, sounds great when you see it on TV, but that's until it becomes inconvenient. Yeah, the big inconvenient until it interrupts your plans, until it requires your patience, until it requires you to give something you were already running low on. But good old-fashioned Jesus shows us a different kind of love through one of the most well-known stories in the scripture. And what's interesting is Jesus didn't tell the story to simply answer a simple question, he actually told it to challenge someone's heart, and that is where we're gonna get into our scripture. Again, if you missed me or you was too busy on the road or you was ordering your Chick-fil-A order, I'm gonna say it again, Luke chapter 10, verse 25 through 37. If you have not listened before, I'm gonna start by reading it uh by how the scripture says it, and then I'm gonna modernize it a little bit for my girlies just so we can make it applicable to ourselves because we are in the flesh and blood. We wasn't out there with Luke and them and Jesus and them, so we're just gonna modernize it a little bit just to get a better understanding. And so I'm gonna start with verse 25 where it says, And a lawyer, an excerpt from the Mosaic Law, stood up to test him, saying, Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, What is written in the law? How do you read it? And he replied, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said to him, You have answered correctly. Do this habitually, and you will live. But he, wishing to justify and vindicate himself, asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, who stripped him of his clothes and belongings, beat him, and went their way, leaving him half dead. Literally all half dead. Now, by coincidence, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite also came down to the place and saw him, but passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was traveling along that road came upon him, and when he saw him, he was deeply moved with compassion for him. He went to him and and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own pack animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two Daneri or Daneri and gave them to the innkeeper and said, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I return. Which of these three do you think proved himself to the man who encountered the robbers? And he answered, The one who showed compassion and mercy toward him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and constantly do the same. Now, for the modern day remix, or retelling, if you would say that, let's bring this story into today's world. Imagine you're having one of those days where you're already overwhelmed. It could be because of that job, because of that man, it could even be because of that dog. Dog just don't act like he got any home training, just all over the place, running ragged. It could be anything, could be them kids, could be that man, I don't know, could be that woman, I don't know, could be your best friend getting a hurt, could be your boss not approving your PTO, I don't know. Whatever, applicable to you. Literally, your phone is already full of notifications, your schedule is packed, you may not even like your schedule because you didn't get your PTO approved, girl. I know I've been there. You're trying to keep yourself together, literally holding on by a thread, and then you notice someone else is struggling, also. Maybe it's a friend who needs encouragement, who just maybe needs a check-in real quick, maybe it's someone who needs help, maybe it's someone who doesn't look like you, think like you, or even live like you. And the easiest thing to do is to just keep walking, minding your business, AirPods in 90s and the early 2000s, RB is playing. Jode C got you feeling it, girl, whatever it is. And you know, that's not because it's the thing that makes you maybe feel like a bad person, but just because stopping requires something from you. Yeah, too much, too much time, too much energy, too much compassion. This Samaritan wasn't praised because he noticed that man. A lot of people notice him. Complete strangers, a lot of people notice this guy. He was praised because he stopped. He stopped in the name of love. Before you break my heart. Y'all know that song. Ain't that Diana Ross and the Supremes? I don't know. That was before my time. If y'all know it, y'all know I'm talking about. But anyway, we're gonna talk about it. Let's chit-chat about it. So, the first point that we get from this scripture is that compassion requires us to see people, literally, with the two eyes God gave you, or the four if you got glasses, not just to notice them. I think this is where Jesus really challenges us as people because noticing someone and truly seeing someone are two totally different things. We can scroll past someone's pain every single day. We've done it, I've done it. I'm not gonna be scared to admit that. I have done it. We can hear someone struggle and say, Oh, that's terrible. Oh, woo woo-woo. And I think now we've all become numb and we're thinking, like, oh, you know, everybody's going through something. Okay, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily right for us to just throw their pain or their stuff to the side, but you know, it's just the times we live in. I feel like we're all numb to the wrong things, honestly. But that's another story for another day, child. But we never still allow ourselves to be moved enough just to respond. The Samaritan didn't just acknowledge that man or his pain from a distance. He got up close and personal. He allowed someone else's need to interrupt his day. And I know, I know, I know, I know that's hard because sometimes we are already carrying so much. We're already carrying our family, our kids, our spouse, the dog that you just don't understand what's going on with him. You trained him up well, you don't get it. He just isn't listening. We're carrying our careers, we're carrying our own mental health, we're carrying the improvement, the self-worth, the self-care, all the things. Trust me, I know. But loving people doesn't always mean doing something huge, something drastic, something for everybody to see, and the crowd goes wild. Sometimes it looks like checking on your friend, literally just sending a quick text. If you got my number or if you are close to me, you know I'm good for like just sending, like, hey, what's up? How you done? What's going on? Because I be feeling like personally, if I feel like I've gone too long not talking to somebody, I'm just like, if they're like me, I'm wondering, like, oh my gosh, I hope they're okay. Like, really, like, I really do be trying to like check in and I try to make more of an effort to be a good friend because just like people always say, you treat people how you want to be treated. So if I want somebody to check in on me every now and then, I can give that same courtesy to other people. And you know, sometimes that's all somebody needs is just somebody to check on them and just to remind them, like, hey girl, I see you. Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while, or hey, I noticed things have been different, you know. Don't overthink it. If you've ever thought about doing that and you haven't, do not overthink it, girl. Just check in with your people. You never know. Check in with your people. But I'm sorry, I'll be yapping, y'all. Listening without trying to fix everything. Basically, that's what you're doing. You're just listening without trying to fix anything, even if it's just for them to vent, because you might need that sometime. And even just offering that kindness when nobody else is watching, that's when love often shows up. It's in those small moments of obedience, just those small little acts that we just sometimes overlook. The next key point that I have is that loving like Jesus means moving beyond convenience. Yes, life is full of inconveniences, and that means sometimes you gotta do the thing that may not adhere to your schedule, it may not fit on your calendar, it may not make it onto your Apple Watch, it may not give you a ring to close. The Samaritan's love cost him something, it cost him his time, it cost him resources, and it cost him comfort. He literally gave that man dannerai or dannery, however you want to say it. He gave up his time, he gave up his animal. It literally, he put the man on the animal and was like, yo, I'm gonna walk, I'm gonna let you hop on, boom, boom, boom, I'm gonna get you to the end. I know this one little motel six, they got room. I be in there all the time. They got a room for me, real nice, comfortable sheets. They don't have breakfast though, but you get it, it's comfortable. He gave up all of those things just to help this one person, and that's the part that we don't always talk about. Giving up those intangible things and loving people sounds good. Sounds real good until we have to make those sacrifices, until we have to sacrifice those things that we want to keep for ourselves. Jesus is not calling us to be everyone's savior, it's just not possible. You can't do it, you can't be everything to everyone, and I can speak from real experience. I am learning that as I get older, you cannot be everything to everybody all the time. You are going to burn yourself out. And the moment you start to ask yourself who asked me to do that, and you get comfortable asking yourself that, I promise you, life is gonna get a whole lot brighter. You're gonna see the walking on sunshine days that that Natalie lady was talking about. What is her name? She was like, I got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine. I whatever. I don't think it was walking on sunshine, it was just like a pocket full of sunshine. Well, who was walking on sunshine? That's another story for another day. Y'all know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm saying, okay? I'm sorry. I'm getting so sidetracked. But basically, yeah, he's not calling us to be everyone's savior. That is literally Jesus' job. And I don't think you want a promotion, do you? Okay. He is calling us to have a heart that reflects his. Sometimes being a good neighbor means stepping outside of our comfort zone, doing something we're not used to doing. Sometimes it means loving someone we don't naturally understand. And it might even mean choosing kindness when our pride, keyword pride, wants to choose distance. Like we don't see nobody. You ever seen them um saying us during the Christmas time? I'm not gonna lie to you, y'all. I am good for keeping my ear positive, acting like I don't hear that bell ringing and walking right on by. I'm sorry to admit that, but I am honest, okay? I'm being honest, okay? And the real question is we have to ask ourselves who deserves my love? We have to ask ourselves that. You see how that don't make sense? Okay, that was the trick question. You should be paying attention. The question Jesus wants to ask is Am I willing to become someone who gives it? Are you willing to become someone who gives something that maybe somebody doesn't deserve? Or maybe it's not convenient for you? Are you still willing to give in spite of? Keyword in spite of and so for today's heart check, I want you to take a moment and just answer this question Do you love people when it's convenient or when it's costly? The room is silent for you to think about that. Do you love people when it's convenient or when it's costly? And the answer could be completely no. But I just want you to think about that. And I also want you to carry this with you as you go into this next week, as you go into tomorrow, whatever. I want you to remember that love is not just something we feel, it is something we practice every single day. I feel like it's one of those things you're never gonna get done learning, you're never gonna get done getting better at it, and it should just be a constant practice for you. And just like earlier, when I mentioned that verse in 1 John, it says, Let us not love merely in theory with word or with tongue, but in action and in truth. Action and in truth. It's not enough just to say you love, but are you showing that love to a stranger, to a friend, to a family member, to your spouse, to your kids, even to that dog who just be tearing up everything running around. Are you showing him love? And this week for our practice, I want you to intentionally show love in one practical way. You could send a text, you can make a call, you can offer help, but all in all, choose kindness, just a small, something simple. Now, to round out today's episode, I want you to remember that I don't want You to underestimate the small things and the small ways that God can use you. Everything is not some grand gesture. It does not have to be. It's not always something that you might get recognized for. I feel like we all are so worried about is anybody gonna see me do it? Is anybody gonna congratulate me for doing it? Is anybody gonna pay attention to me doing it? Just do it for the goodness of the Lord. I don't mean to sound like that, but just do it for the goodness of the Lord. If anybody is watching, it's God, and that's the most important person in the audience. I promise you. You do not have to have a platform, you don't have to have followers, you don't have to have engagement, you don't have to have likes. Oh my gosh, I'm waiting for the day the world just wakes up, and we just don't even care about likes, followers, and comments and engagement no more. I'm so over it. But back to what I was saying to round out today's episode, that's another tangent for another day. You do not have to have it all figured out. I am learning this as I go. You don't have to save everybody. You literally can't, ma'am. You can't let me be the one to tell you you cannot save everybody. Put the cape up. But you can love everybody. L-O-V-E. Love. You can be kind, you can show compassion, and you can be the person who actually stops when everyone else keeps walking. And sometimes that simple act of love is exactly what someone needed to experience God's heart. And on that note, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you for spending time with me today. I hope this conversation reminded you that following Jesus is not just about what we believe, it's about how we allow Him to transform the way we love, the way we serve, and the way we show up for others. If today's episode encouraged you, I do invite you as always to continue the conversation with me on my Patreon where we have a devotional based on each um week or each episode's podcast. There's a devotional based on that, and also a little smidge, little mini Bible study uh audio as well with a guided prayer. And I hope that that will help you to deepen your understanding into God's word and help you to reflect on how He is calling you to grow. Until next time, stay rooted in God's word, give yourself grace and keep choosing Jesus one day at a time. I'll meet you here back soon.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Hey, I'm just so heavy I'll save. God, send me out the rain. Now I got peace, and now I got brains. Fix right in his image I made. So it's you, I finna remain. I see that the proof, it's having me thing, God. When they didn't think I'd do it. God, I knew it was movin'. Earth, you wanted me rollin'. I knew it was amazing. Now I'm giving you praises. We have a whole singing. I'ma keep praising your name. I don't care what these people gon' do, what these people gon' say, what these people gon' bang. We out here making the cipher. We in the world where we can't be the same. Okay. So I went for my hand on the Bible, speaking the truth, and we making it plain. We finna pop it, lock it, sock it, cock it, walkin' with God, and we not finna change. Leaving your word and I can't be afraid. Did it with Christ and we making a change? We did it, we did it, we own it, we got it. Fake like a seed, I just need me a grain. He back on the scene and he's healing the pain. Father, I love how you making it sound. When they didn't think I'd do it. I knew it was movin'. Earth, you wanted me rollin'. I know you're living amazing. God, I'm giving you praise. We got the hood singer. You gotta be honey, with the power text. With the make it go up with the I'ma keep making it same. Like, I'ma go right with the king. I'm not chasing a thing. You the one give me a dream. Look how we big on the phone. Oh, beat the road. Hey, you play the training we own. They bitch is easy for everything.