"Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” Matthew 25:44
A few years ago, I read how a woman handled the increasing homelessness in her city. She loaded up on bottled waters and packs of crackers that she could share with those who on any given day stood at stop lights hoping for help. I copied her for a while but had run out of both items and never replenished them until last weekend. It felt good to have those items available in my car. Yesterday was a cold but beautiful day so I decided to go shopping and do a few errands. I had a nice morning listening to music in the car, shopping for a few Christmas gifts, and even bought a few treats for myself. As I approached a stoplight where I knew someone would be asking for help, I opened the bottled waters and packs of crackers and stopped at the red-light. I rolled down my window, smiled and extended him a water and a pack of crackers. His eyes turned from emptiness to anger as he realized he wasn’t getting what he expected. He raised his voice saying, ‘Don’t you even have $1 so I can go to McDonald’s and get a sandwich?’ I told him that this was what I had for him and was just trying to help. He turned and walked away leaving me dumbfounded. The light turned green, I pulled the water and crackers back in, rolled up my window and drove off. I began questioning if I had done something wrong but quickly became distracted and didn’t think about it much more until this morning.
The Lord gave me a precious gift that hurt so bad! He gave me the view from the man’s perspective. What I saw from the driver’s side was an ungrateful person who was angry, but his view that became visible in my prayers this morning was much different. As he saw my car stop at the light and my window roll down, there must have been temporary HOPE for that moment. It was cold and he might be able to get some coffee… his stomach perhaps growling and maybe even a sandwich too. But then, his hope was replaced with reality. As I looked out to him, I saw a man with very little but as he looked in at me, he saw full shopping bags and felt the warmth of my car cascading out of the window. He heard the Christmas songs playing, maybe a reminder of kinder times for him. I don’t know what the answer is to interacting with those who live on the fringes of society, but I have walked with God long enough to know when He wants more from me. A dollar to me is something different than a dollar to them. A dollar to them could be nourishment…a dollar to them could be what warms their bones on a blustery and cold day…a dollar to them could be what gives them HOPE even if only for a brief moment.
I guess with all of these words I can only say that while we cannot and should not judge those less fortunate, we should open a place in our heart where the Spirit can give us a tender nudge. Maybe a quiet whisper that reminds us that when we share a dollar with others, we ‘share a dollar with Christ.’
"Dear Lord, give us a generous heart to share, a humble spirit not to judge, and the discernment we need when help is required. In your love for all, Amen!"
Hope is not hope until we give it away!
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