In our many efforts to care for the wounds of others, we are missing one important step according to Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner: taking people to the inn.
Stevenson-Moessner uses the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-27) as a parable for the healthy path toward service. Notice the many characters and actions:
- The Robbers who “who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead” represent those who live by the credo “What’s yours is mine.”
- The Priest and Levite who “passed by on the other side” stand for those who confess, “What’s mine is mine.“
- The Samaritan who “had compassion” and “went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine” symbolizes those believe “What’s mine is yours.”
But too often, Stevenson-Moessner writes, we end the parable there. And, as a result, we make the mistake of believing that service and mercy and compassion mean giving our all until there is nothing left to give. The results are burned out helpers and servants filled with compassion fatigue.
Notice, however, the last part of the story: “Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’”
The Samaritan 1) resumed his journey, and 2) invited the participation of others in the healing of the man. The Samaritan, here, represents a belief that “What’s mine is mine, but we have enough to share.” The Samaritan remained differentiated enough to act in a way that recognized that his resources, time and energy were truly his own, but he could share some of them, and he could enlist others, like the innkeeper, to share some of theirs as well.
Stevenson-Moessner writes, “The Samaritan managed to care for the wounded man while finishing his or her own journey. By finishing the journey, the Samaritan exhibited self-care. By delegating responsibilities in caring and relying on other professionals (i.e., the innkeeper), the Samaritan avoided compassion fatigue.” [A Primer in Pastoral Care]
As you continue your good work of serving and helping, consider this question, “Who / where is your inn?”
