At First a Stranger, But Only at First

A stranger's eyes met my own
A stranger's eyes saw my needs
A stranger's eyes looked upon me kindly
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's ears heard me weep
A stranger's ears heard my cry
A stranger's ears listened to my problems
At first a stranger, but only at first 

A stranger's voice consoled me
A stranger's voice comforted me
A stranger's voice encouraged me
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's hand touched my forehead
A stranger's hand wiped my tears
A stranger's hand led me out of darkness
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's arms lifted me
A stranger's arms embraced me
A stranger's arms held me tight
At first a stranger, but only at first

A stranger's heart felt my pain
A stranger's heart cried for me
A stranger's heart loved me
At first a stranger, but only at first 

It is a beautiful thing when a stranger helps someone in need. I am reminded of the parable of the good Samaritan, how a perfect stranger helped out a man attacked by robbers who was left for dead; how the stranger bandaged the man’s wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn. As if that wasn’t enough, the stranger promised the innkeeper he would take care of the bill on his way back! A beautiful story. Jesus used this parable to demonstrate what it meant to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Fortunately, there are people out there, day after day, being good neighbors during this time of pandemic, helping out perfect strangers. As in the poem, these strangers are strangers at first, but only at first.

Luke 10:25-37