I was driving Erin to the airport in Chicago before I spent
the majority of the day driving myself to St. Louis. As we got on and off major roads and highways we saw plenty
of poor and homeless folks holding signs looking for all kinds of help. I thought it would be great if I could
help them somehow.
After I dropped off Erin I stopped at McDonald’s for some
hot American breakfast. I ordered
one sausage biscuit and two hash browns (the hash browns were two for a
dollar). On my tray the lovely
McDonald’s employee placed two hash browns and TWO sausage biscuits. I told her I paid for one. She started to reach for the extra and
then said, “Ahh whatever, just keep it.”
I was a little bit surprised. Then I thought that if they only charge me a dollar the
sausage biscuit must only cost them about 15 cents…or even less. First I thought about how full I would
be if I ate two sausage biscuits and two hash browns. Then I thought about how I could save the second sandwich
for some time in my ride. Then I
thought, “Ah ha! I can help one of those poor or homeless folks I saw on the
way over here.”
I started driving to the interstate. For a long time I didn’t see any poor
or homeless folks. I was a little
discouraged and wondered if God would still be glorified if I gave the sandwich
to someone who looked as though they had ample resources to buy one for
themselves.
Then I was sitting at a red light on the other side of which
was the on-ramp for the interstate I needed. I spotted a guy holding a cardboard sign asking for
help. I think the sign said he was
homeless. He looked like the dude
on the cover of Jason Upton’s “Beautiful People” album.
Just then my sister called me on the phone. I answered and started talking to
her. As I did I rolled down my window
and waved the sausage biscuit at the guy as if I were baiting him towards
me. He saw it and came right over.
I didn’t even get off the phone. I handed him the sandwich and rolled the window back
up. The man thanked me and said
something like “It’s even warm!” I
started to feel bad that I hardly even made eye contact. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I was
just so excited to give the gift that I forgot to wait until I was off the
phone.
The Jason Upton album cover guy didn’t seem to care. As I got off the phone he was backing
away from my car with his hands shaking, wrapped around the sausage
biscuit. He lifted it up in the
air like Rafiki does with Simba in the opening scene of the Lion King. He thanked God for the gift. He opened the paper around the sandwich
and frantically prayed some more before he bit into it.
A lot of times people standing near the interstate write
things about God on their cardboard signs. A lot of times I question their faith.
I wanted to give away my extra sausage biscuit in the hopes
that my action would glorify God.
Maybe someone would feel a little more loved. I wanted to be the vehicle of that love. When the Jason Upton album cover guy
took that sandwich he knew who the love was coming from. As I drove away I saw that he indeed
had written something about God’s blessings on his cardboard sign. I didn’t question his faith.
I wanted to glorify God. God was glorified.
As I merged onto the interstate I realized I had nothing to do with the
way God provided for his son with the cardboard sign that day. I thanked Him that I got to be there to see
it.
