How to spell rhododendron

The day was much too pretty to stay inside, and my wife's urging to get out and take a hike (?!) convinced me. I decided to hike to Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain since it was nearly time for the rhododendrons to bloom.

The rhododendrons are late this year (you can see them in full bloom in a video I made last year by going to http://youtu.be/TCFzeA7Netg), but that didn't keep the park from being crowded. Even on the Appalachian Trail, which takes one to the balds (mountain summits which are mostly free of trees), I met probably 100 hikers in my three-plus hours on the trail.

Traveling down the Interstate highways, you meet thousands of fellow travelers. In those circumstances, though, I see cars, not people. On foot my fellow travelers have faces, and most of them have smiles on those faces. I've made it a practice to greet all whom I encounter, and I find that virtually all of them return the greeting.

Though I've never had to put it to the test, I'm convinced that any of these fellow hikers would lend me a hand if I asked for it. Twisted ankles, dehydration, exhaustion - all of these and more are dangers one faces when hiking. Hikers, though, are good people (generally), and I or they would be quick to help if there was a need.

Not everyone is a hiker, but all of us are travelers. We're making our trek through this life to eternity. Along the way we all develop problems that make it challenging to continue the journey: illness, injury, economic setbacks, family strife, etc. Will anyone stop to help? Will anyone care?

Two travelers are the main characters in Jesus' well-known parable of the good Samaritan. A Jewish man was on a business trip to Jericho when thieves assaulted him. Besides taking his goods, they almost took his life. His need was obvious, but two of his own countrymen passed him by instead of stopping to help.

It was a Samaritan - a race despised by most Jews of Jesus' day - who "had compassion" on the wounded man. He went out of his way to help him; the Samaritan drew from his own time, energy and resources to help him. At the end of the parable, Jesus' lesson was clear: "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:30-37).

Circumstances and needs vary greatly, but all travelers occasionally need help. The law of Christ instructs us to take time to help one another: "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself let you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1,2).

Seeing others at a distance - from my car to theirs, for example - it's hard for me to detect their personal qualities. There is little impulse for me to show compassion at a distance. But when I see them up close, face to face, I realize that they are more like me than I had imagined. And in times of need, differences really don't matter so much, do they? What matters is who will reach out to help.

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall.