Dear Friends,
All the normal parking places were blocked off for resurfacing, so I parked in an area I had not parked before. As I was getting out of my car, a young Hispanic gentleman leaned out the window of his car and said, “I am not asking for money, but I wonder if I could clean the tires on your car or do something else to earn a few dollars to feed my children.”
In the backseat of his car were four children between the ages of four and eleven. Seated beside him in the front was his wife. I reached for my wallet but remembered I had spent my last dollar the day before.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I really don’t have any money on me.”
“I understand,” he replied with a smile.
I was about to tell him to wait a minute while I went into a nearby store to use my ATM card when Bonnie chimed in, “You have your credit card. Let’s buy them something to eat at Carl’s Jr.”
When I told the young man what we wanted to do, he thanked me and said it would be just great if we would just buy something for his kids. He added, “Really, is there anything I can do to pay you back?”
We bought breakfast for the family. After we had ordered, as we were preparing to leave, the mother gave Bonnie a huge hug and prayed over her. “Good things are going to happen for you,” she said.
I didn’t recount this story in order to get an “attaboy” for an instance of generosity. I share it in order to put a face on the innocent victims of homelessness. Truth be told, at first, I was reluctant to do anything. I’ve read too many newspaper stories which chronicle how charlatans make a small fortune soliciting on street corners posing as homeless.
Then there is the fact which the State of California is experiencing an epidemic of homelessness. In response, the legislature has passed laws which only exacerbate the problem. Being homeless has become a protected right. Instead of taking real steps to help the homeless, laws now prohibit law enforcement from taking any steps to manage the living situation of the homeless. Whole sections of some cities have become homeless encampments with the attendant health and safety issues.
Yes, I was reluctant to help, but this day the words from 1 John 3:17 drowned out my cautious thoughts: If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
The apostle James makes it clear we are to do more than just pray for someone in need: Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? James 2:15-16
While each of us can help one person at a time or one family at a time, the harsh reality is, as we read in the Amplified Bible, For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.’ Deuteronomy 15:11
Although it felt good to help that one family, we know non-governmental agencies (NGO’s) such as the Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse, The Union Rescue Mission, and churches which have outreach programs, such as Saddleback, are better equipped to marshal resources so as to reach the most needy. NGO’s are serving hundreds of thousands and need financial support.
Several years ago, I volunteered at a food bank in Fontana. My job was to carry boxes of food to the car for people who had come seeking assistance. One day I happened to pick up the box which had been prepared for a woman in her late forties. As we walked to the street, she pointed to a newer-model Mercedes, “That’s my car.”
I was taken aback. “What was this woman doing at a food bank? I wondered.
“As we approached the car, she asked me to wait a minute as she started to move things around in the back seat. “We lost our home,” she explained. “We now live out of our car and it’s pretty crowded.”
I shamefully wondered, “Why am I so judgmental? Shouldn’t I be willing to help anyone God sends our way?”
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. Romans 14:12 (NIV)
Now, when I see someone in need I try to suspend judgement and remember Jesus words, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:35-40
“There but for the grace of God, go I” – John Bradford (1510-1555)
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
There is more to the story …
Remember the homeless woman who prayed over Bonnie saying, “Good things are going to happen to you?” Well good things have been happening for us.
For instance, just before I sat down to write this article, I felt the Holy Spirit was pushing me to search our garage for some items we had misplaced. In preparation for listing our home for sale, we had gathered a few valuable items and tucked them away for safekeeping. The only problem: we both forgot where we had put them.
Bonnie and I had racked our brains over the last couple of months trying to figure out what had become of the items. Repeated searches had been fruitless, and we began to wonder if we had accidently sent them out with the trash.
Today, I went to the garage and searched all the areas we had previously searched. About to give up, one box stuffed into a raised storage area caught my attention. Imagine Bonnie’s delight when I walked in holding the items we had been seeking.
I believe the familiar adage “What Goes Around Comes Around” is especially true when it comes to blessings.
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
James 5:16 (NLT)
All glory be to God.
Because He Loves Us Press 