That Time I Was Confronted by an Asian

Meeting of the spirits

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:25-29 (NIV). This is the preamble of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

You like that click-bait headline, do you not?

A few days ago during my morning walk, one of the ladies I normally see - also exercise-walking - waved good morning to me from across the street. “You got up late,” she said, which was so. It was about seven.

Then, the lady did something unusual: she walked over to me and began to chat.

I thought she was about my same age but it turns out that she’s ten years older. I had to shorten my stride during our walk because I’m 5’7” and Mary is 5’0” at the very tallest estimate. I imagine we made a bemusing spectacle to onlookers: a fairly tall, roundish black woman and a tiny, slender Asian woman, walking, chattering, and laughing.

We have a lot in common. Older, divorced ladies with no children - both of us miscarried. Christians, who actively seek the Lord every day.

Mary is from South Korea. She came to America, following her older sister, when she was 30. Speaking almost no English, she enrolled herself in beauty school and became fairly proficient in reading, if not in speaking, her new language. Her speaking proficiency radically improved when she was hired as a clean-up person in a West LA beauty parlor. She worked there for many years, eventually becoming a full-fledged beautician.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m fascinated by those who pick up and leave everything familiar to chase a dream in a land they’ve only heard about.

Here in this space and at my old blog, I try to illuminate the spiritual origins and implications of the ever-brewing wars between the nations - the races/ethnic groups - about which Jesus the Christ prophesied in Matthew 24. The long-running animosities between blacks and Asians are monstrous examples of this.

In practice, in my life outside of the Internet, I do certain things intended to engender peace between those who don’t look like me and those who do. Seemingly small things like greeting everyone I pass on the street. Especially effective: greeting their dogs.

We all know that black women have a reputation for being surly and rude, but, not having been raised that way, it’s easy for me to be kind, though I was a little less so in the years before Christ got ahold of me. Most recipients are pleased by it, and that makes me happy.

Peace is built from the bottom up.

Anyway, Mary and I hugged each other before parting and I had to do some additional walking - due to the very slow pace I had to keep in order to stay next to her.

I was smiling the whole time.