If you’ve ever neglected to help someone when you think you should have, you’re not alone. We can make the wrong decision for the stupidest reasons. Most of the time it comes down to pride. Our time, our reputation, our own needs leap up to talk us out of doing that thing that would cost us something. You know you should have done that thing when you’re still thinking about it hours later.

Humility opens more doors in heaven than great speeches. Intent only goes so far, then you have to walk the walk. Paul describes being puffed up with pride as falling into the same condemnation as the devil. (1Tim 3:6) That puts things into perspective.

God made it easy for me to handle the pride vs helping someone in need situation. He said, Would you allow someone to live in pain rather than damage your reputation? I never thought about it like that before and it changed my perspective on my own pride. If I have the ability to affect someone’s life for good and don’t do it, it would be like standing in front of a starving person and throwing away a half-eaten hamburger.

There’s a Good Samaritan in all of us. We just need to remember that.