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HEART OF THE INNKEEPER

You might suppose that there is very little of interest in the daily life of an innkeeper.  Not so.  For, although I seldom leave the inn and have never traveled far, I meet travelers every day who tell me of distant places and wonderful sights.  I hear about their homes.  Sometimes, because they are lonely, they tell me their personal stories.

And, though I haven't traveled very far, I have a couple of stories of my own.

One afternoon I was busy about the inn putting the final touches of the day’s cleaning in anticipation of the arrival of the first guests.  The front door opened and a stranger came in.  Turns out that he wasn’t looking for a room for himself.  He was a Samaritan and said that he did not expect to stay at an inn that catered to the Jewish.  But, along the way to my town he had come upon one of my fellow countrymen who had been attacked and beaten by robbers.  He wondered if I would rent a room to the unfortunate man.  The Samaritan said he would pay for it and be on his way.

What I saw when I stepped outside was not a pretty sight.  On the back of a burrow a man sat slumped in obvious pain.  The blood that seeped through his bandages gave evidence of someone who had been savagely and brutally beaten.  I summoned for the Samaritan to help me lift the man down and we carried him into the inn.  After we had placed him on a bed, the Samaritan said he would pay me for his care if I would be willing to look after him.  And, if it cost more he would pay me when he came back through.

His generosity was astounding.  It caused me to feel a twinge of shame.  And, it caused me to renew an old vow that I, too, would be more generous.

This was not the first inn that I had managed.  Many years before when I was much younger, I had managed an inn in the little village of Bethlehem.  It was a chaotic time.  The Roman Caesar had commanded that all people should go to their ancestral homes to be counted for the census.  So the little village began to fill with all the people who were traveling there.  Mine was the only inn.  And, there was not enough space for everyone.  It was an innkeeper’s dream.

I thought of my sister.  I thought of my mother.  What if it had been one of them? 
If it were my sister, I would have given her my own room.

I remember a young man who came to the door of my inn.  He said that his little wife was heavy with child and could I please find room for them.  I peeked my head outside and saw her.  She was beautiful and, yes, heavy with child.  But, there were some important people coming to my inn and I had to save the room for them.  So, I shook my head and sent the young couple away.  There was no room in the inn and I sent the young couple away.  There was no room in the inn.

I remembered how I felt after I turned them away. An Opportunity to Share

Word came the next day that the young woman had given birth to a baby boy in a stable.  I thought of my sister.  I thought of my mother.  What if it had been one of them?  I felt a tide of shame.  If it were my sister, I would have given her my own room. 

So, when the Samaritan came to my door, I remembered.  I remembered the man and his young wife.  I remembered how I had felt after I turned them away.  This time I decided to do what my heart told me. 

I decided not to let the feeling pass but to make room for the injured man.  But, that did not seem enough.  So, I turned to the Samaritan and said, “There is room for you here as well.”

I think I saw a tear in his eye.  He offered me his thanks.  But, in my heart I whispered to myself, “No. Thank you.

An Opportunity to Share

Like the innkeeper, the chaplains and volunteers of Lifeline Chaplaincy meet strangers every day.  These are the patients and their families who have traveled from distant places to receive treatment at the Texas Medical Center.  Some come for cancer treatment.  Others need medical attention for heart disease.  Some are children who need surgery to correct birth defects.  Some come to the medical center because no other place can treat them.

Some 100,000 patients come to the Texas Medical Center every day.  Most are far from home.  All are in need of spiritual as well as physical care.

The chaplaincy comes to the aid of these patients and their families.  Ministers and volunteers attend patients’ bedsides to pray and encourage.  They are there to hold an anxious hand or put an arm around a crying shoulder.

For those patients and families who are in financial crisis and in need of emergency assistance for a hotel room, a meal, a parking pass or transportation, Lifeline  is there with its Compassionate Touch project.

You can help Lifeline Chaplaincy care for these patients.  Your financial gift can provide the means for Lifeline to offer the kind of assistance that is needed.  At the critical time.  To those who need it.   Because of you, Lifeline Chaplaincy will be there to welcome the stranger.

By Virgil Fry