The other day....

I took my grandmother to a library in Northwest D.C. last Friday.  As we pulled into the handicap parking spot I saw a homeless person sitting in a small alcove, hidden from the street, with there back to the building, strategically blocking them self from the bitter wind that day.  This person was bundled up with a heavy coat buttoned up to their nose, and their feet covered with dried leaves.  They never looked up to catch my eyes.  There were some used sports drink containers and a couple of paper bags around them.  The weather was cold, dry, and unforgiving that day.  When I saw this individual my heart broke, for two reasons: One - their suffering and two - I wanted to do something, I just didn't know what.  I had three $20's and a couple of $1's.  I had a small Gospel of John for evangelism distribution.  But, certainly $2 seems like a spit in the face as I would climb into my nice warm car and I just don't know if I could part with $20 - that just seems extreme; plus you're not supposed to give cash to the homeless right?  I couldn't just give them a Gospel without accompanying it with something of comfort or necessity - its like saying, "The Lord bless you" and then leaving them to freeze to death.  There was a Starbucks across the four lane highway and a restaurant that I could have gotten some soup or chili, but then again my grandmother was waiting for me in the car.  This was my reasoning with God as I went into the library to look-up, find, and check-out a book for my grandmother.  The whole time completely distracted with what I was going to do when I got back around to my car.  I exited the library and came around towards my car, I could not yet see the homeless person, and I stopped right in my tracks.  By the Holy Spirit and God's grace I made a decision right there I was going to do SOMETHING before getting back into my car.  I pulled out a Gospel of John, and I opened my wallet.  I knew what I had to do.  What is $20 in comparison to Jesus hanging on a cross?  And, maybe by giving a bit more than they might be used to receiving they might just be a little more open to reading that small book.  I folded up the bill so you couldn't see the amount, but pushed it up enough to see there was money inside.  I found peace with God, finally.  I knew I was following the Holy Spirit.  As I approached the individual they slowly looked up to me, and as I reached out my hand they reached out theirs.  When they took hold of the Gospel all I could say was, "God loves you."  Sounds so simple, almost flippant, but in my heart I wanted to weep for them.  I became weak in my breathing and in my knees, not because I was nervous, but because Compassion overwhelmed me at that moment.  It was a very brief transaction, with soberness they replied with a "Thank you" and immediately started looking at the book.  Of course it opened up to the money, but when I looked back they were more interested in the book than the money!  God knew what He was doing.  After a brief visit with my grandmother in her apartment, I headed home to Frederick.  Fighting my way through rush-hour, beltway traffic I listened to some worship music and Compassion led my thoughts back to the person trying desperately not to freeze to death on this wintery day.  I began to weep for them.  I wept for their heavenly salvation, I wept for their earthly salvation, and then I just wept.  I don't tell this story to boast of myself or boast of how much I gave, or boast of my big heart -because for this one homeless person there are a thousand more that I have walked by turning my face from theirs for fear that our eyes would meet and I wouldn't know what to say or do. 

- Father God, help us in these moments to allow our hearts to break for the hopeless, helpless, the homeless and give us wisdom in each instance to know what to do.  For anyone without Christ is homeless, they don't have to be freezing on the street corner - let compassion take over, not pity but compassion.  For Pity says, "That's awful" while compassion says, "I need to do something about it."  And in everything let our sacrifice be just that - A SACRIFICE!  AMEN  (Amos 5:24)