As I positioned myself around the corner and secretly watched him and his two dogs while he kneeled face down with his dirty ball cap out in front of him, not even lifting his head when a coin was dropped, but rather whispering a quiet “thank you,” I was entranced. I couldn’t decide what to do.
Emily and I had passed him twice and as we approached his humbled begging position the second time, Em said, “you might want to turn away” knowing how the very sight of him was affecting me. But I couldn’t. No sooner had we passed him than did the words fall out of my mouth before I could justify them away. “My heart is telling me to go sit with him.” “Then I think you should go sit with him.” she said.
Frick.
So there I was, spying on him for 15 minutes. Finally, I decided to aporoach him with a donation. I crouched down in front of him and waited for him to raise his head. When he realized I wasn’t leaving, he slowly lifted his head…eyes cloudy and confused.
With his limited English and my elementary Russian, I learned his name. As soon as I introduced myself, his eyes cleared, and the age slipped away from his worn face. He smiled. And the hundreds of people staring at my back and passing by faded completely away. He couldn’t have been older than me. I had so many spiritual truths I wanted to tell him, so many things Jesus has for him. But as I sat there, and completely failed as communication, I realized maybe that wasn’t the point.
We had prayed at a pizza shop earlier yesterday morning for the Lord to give us someone. To lend his eyes and his heart even though we were on vacation/off days.
But when we ask that do we listen? Do we do it?
Funny thing I’m learning on the race and about life in general, it’s not about conversions and theological debates most of the time. Its about doing life with people. Because:
Truth comes out of love.
and
Love is lived.
#Zerbyon11n11 #11n11 #Prague
