THURSDAY 10/16

 

I am hoping that I will continue to grow and to be impacted by the changes God desires for my heart. I hope to be more and more comfortable to go and sit with someone who is eating all alone. And when I discover that he needs new shoes, not to be afraid that God will tell me to take him shoe shopping! I am looking forward even more to the day when I actually seek out those needing shoes. When I look at each and every person as they eat and think,

“What else can I do? What do they need?” 

Many times, people are more than happy just to have a conversation with someone who cares, to have someone ask them their name.  I hear two or three sentences of their stories as they accept a cup of iced tea. I need to want to go and sit with them and hear the rest of the story. Stories like the one of a tall, thin lady telling me she had lost 50 pounds over the last three months, and “would it be ok” if she came back for second helpings. Then there was the incredibly polite and bubbly, thirty-something lady who gives such heart-warming smiles to the girls serving. I know there is a lot more going on there as well. Then there are always the guys that take their plates and go off and sit by themselves, and then when they are finished, slowly pick up their limited belongings and start a slow walk off to

I don’t know where, and sadly, maybe they don’t know either. There’s a story there. There are stories everywhere. We all have our own stories, stories of heartbreak, dashed dreams, broken promises and betrayal. The difference many times is that we had a family and friends to help us recover. Many of these people have no family. Many have, or have had, drug and/or alcohol dependency issues, which led them to losing many if not all of their friends.

 I wonder sometimes how many actual conversations some people have had during the day. Did they have any? When was the last time someone put their hand on their shoulder and asked how they were doing? I pray that I become a better listener, to people and more importantly to God. As he nudges me in one direction or another, what am I doing? Am I responding with a servant’s heart like Christ, or am I thinking how I could save some money by ignoring the barefoot guy walking in the street? 

When I pray, when I at times question my resolve thinking that it will cost me something, I need to remember

God’s response. I need to consider the cost and the reward;

I most certainly do now! I have come to realize that the reward I get far exceeds any cost I have incurred. My reward is exemplified in something that happened last week. I was pulling out from under the bridge and heading home. I was thanking God for an amazing night. Thanking Him for showing me the opportunity to serve. Thanking Him for nudging me and thanking Him for making sure I felt the nudge to go across the alley and ask if someone needed water. Because it was in doing so that I was able to be a part of what was a special moment for many, not the least of whom was the guy who neither gave nor received a picture, me! As I was driving out, I came to the main cross street about to turn left. As I slowed to check for traffic, I looked across the road, and there were two of the men we had fed. They were sitting next to each other on the concrete barrier. I started to make my turn, and they looked up at me as I was looking at them. They smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. Enough said!

I didn’t start out helping under the bridge because I was some amazing person intent on saving the homeless. I just wanted to give something back. Yet, what I provide in terms of bananas and honey buns pales in comparison to the joy I get when I see a two-toothed guy smile at the thought of biting into a cookie, or the joy on people’s faces when they give what little they have in thanks and appreciation, or the look of “I’m slowly turning this around” on a guy’s face when he says “I worked three days this week.”

That first step……. take it……. it’s worth more than you know!

 

When parents can help instill empathy in their children, the world becomes a much brighter place. It becomes brighter for those serving as well as those receiving. Dean Graziosi relates how he views the homeless and how he hopes his children will view those less fortunate.

 

Rather than pulling away from someone who is barely dressed, completely dirty, or smells horrible, the lessons I’m able to share with my children are the ones I want to become permanent in their souls. I get to teach my children that we don’t know if the homeless people’s families threw them out, if they were molested, if they were beaten, if they have a severe learning disability that no one noticed. I share with my children that there are a million reasons the homeless could be where they are. Some of them may be on drugs, and may use alcohol, and maybe that’s the only thing that quiets the noises in their heads. I always tell my kids that we have no idea why they are there, but we can wish them well, let them know someone cares, pray for them, and find gratitude for the blessings we’ve had in our own lives.   (Graziosi 214).