Running the Race: 5-Days of Encouragements for an Active LifestyleSample

The Biking Samaritan

In 2014, Raully and Eddie participated in the A.D.A.'s Tour de Cure Bike Ride in L.A., a fundraising event for the American Diabetes Association.

Being avid riders, both men sought out this 62-mile ride as a fun endeavor. Raully remembers flying by the numerous rest stops with Eddie. “We’ll stop at the next one! We’re just getting started!” But, as the day drew on, both men realized that they’d taken a wrong turn.

“We were in bad shape,” Raully said, referencing their worsening hunger and dehydration. 

“I was feeling beat down,” Raully added. “I was thinking, ‘Should I call for the support vehicle to pick me up and take me back to the finish line?’ I just wanted it to be over.”

It was then that a cyclist stopped near them. Seeing that they were struggling, he gave them two small bottles of pickle juice. Pickle juice contains large amounts of sodium and some vinegar, which provides electrolytes. Raully and Eddie took the pickle juice and got back on their bikes, amazed by what had just happened. 

It was just enough to get them the 11 miles to the finish line, each mile a mental and physical agony. That day, Raully and Eddie rode 74 miles—12 miles more than they expected. 

“I was extremely grateful for that cyclist and never got his name,” Raully said. “He just seemed to come out of nowhere and helped us in our time of need.”

“I felt a huge lump in my throat as they put a Finisher's Medal over my head,” he added.

Raully has Type 2 Diabetes. To him, this accomplishment for the American Diabetes Association was one of the best feelings in the world. 

Raully and Eddie believe that the only reason they crossed the finish line was because of the generosity of a stranger. Let’s consider this story from the perspective of the unknown cyclist.

What must he have been thinking? He must have been so observant to notice two riders on the side of the road as he made his own home-stretch to the finish line. And then to stop to give away his carefully-packed pickle juice? 

We’ve heard the parable of the Good Samaritan, the stranger who stopped to help a man in need, but have we really considered what it takes to be one? 

A Good Samaritan lives with the mindset, “What’s mine is yours.” The stranger on the Tour de Cure ride could have kept his resources for himself, not knowing what would ensue in the 11 miles remaining. But, he didn’t. He gave it away.

A good samaritan pays attention. Every day, we miss things right in front of our faces, opportunities that God gives us to do good, to give something away, to serve Him. John 4:35 says, “Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These … fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!” (MSG).

Today, let’s live like the generous biker at the Tour de Cure Bike Ride. Let’s keep our eyes open to the need and live with the mindset, “What’s mine is yours.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY

How can I begin practically living more like a Good Samaritan?