They are everywhere I go.
Whether I travel to Belize, Atlanta, New Orleans, or five minutes down the street. There are people without a home, without a job, without a family, and without hope.
I’ll never forget visiting a new place with some “Christian” friends and as we walked past a man that was holding a cup begging for change I was told to pretend like I didn’t see him. To keep my head down and not acknowledge him because it was either:
A. Dangerous. I am a female and should not approach a male on the street.
B. He would only use that money for more drugs/alcohol.
C. He was a fake. They make so much money doing this and then go back to their nice homes with their not-so-homeless families.
I even learned to believe it after watching a documentary on people that pretend to be homeless, or end up only using the money to buy more drugs. I was trained to always look down when I passed them, and to pretend as if they weren’t even there.
So I did just that.
I didn’t make eye contact because it was a lot easier. There were some people I would hand a dollar or two, but for the most part… I trained myself to be bitter by them instead of have compassion on them.
This past Saturday night I was on the way to meet up with some friends to see a movie. As I looked to my left there was an elderly man holding a sign that said, “Veteran. Homeless. In need of food.”
I looked straight ahead at the traffic in front of me.
And I pretended that he wasn’t there.
As I looked ahead of me I noticed a truck whose back window was covered in stickers. “He >I” “Jesus paid it all”, and “I heart Jesus” were all screaming “I’M A CHRISTIAN LOOK AT ME” on this young girl’s truck.
As I peered ahead into her rear view mirror… I saw her…
Looking down.
Pretending like the man wasn’t there.
And my heart shattered.
By looking on the outer appearance of the truck I would have thought John the Baptist himself was riding in it. It looked like the greatest Christian alive was driving behind that wheel, but on the inside was a young girl who kept looking down.
And that’s when the Lord spoke to softly yet so strongly into my heart.
How dare I live a life where the outside shouts my surrender to Jesus, while the inside looks away at Him in disgust.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” Matthew 25:40
As Christians we are called to live like Christ… right?
To walk like He walked?
He serve who He served?
Now let me ask this question… When did Jesus pretend someone wasn’t there? When did He turn His eyes to the ground a pretend He didn’t see the hurt, pain, brokenness.
Never.
Let’s make this more personal. What if when it came to your salvation and your relationship with Jesus He chose to “look down” or “pretend we weren’t there.” Where would that leave us in eternity?
The only time Jesus looked down is while He was carrying the weight of the cross, but I can promise you He wasn’t pretending you weren’t there. If anything you were the one on His heart and His mind.
It is only our place to be obedient, and leave the rest to God.
We are called to be a light in the darkness. We are called to share hope with the hopeless, and it should be our heart’s desire to show the love of Jesus at every moment and encounter we are given.
As I rolled down my window to speak to the man, I remembered that my cross “Sugar Hill Church” sticker was on the back of my car and it gave me the courage and the motivation for my inside to be the same as my outside. Does the way my outside looks pretty and screams “I love Jesus” actually reflect my heart? The way I worship, serve, and love at Sugar Hill Church is not meant to stay inside the church walls. It is meant to consume me, encourage me, and commission me out into the world to win souls for Christ.
What does this man learn about Jesus if he sees TWO (or more) cars with crosses on the backs who pass him by as if saying, “My life is more important than yours. You did this to yourself. Jesus loves me but He doesn’t love you.”
What example is this leaving to this man of who Jesus is and who we are because of Him?
Homeless or not.
Then comes the main argument…
“They are just gonna go spend my money on more drugs.”
Man… I wonder if God felt the same way about His grace.
You see… Before He sent His Son to die on the cross He KNEW we would continue to turn away from Him and choose worldly things over Him. He knew we would take advantage of His grace and the freedom that He has given us…
Yet…
He continues to give.
Every moment.
Every day.
Though we take, and abuse, and misuse He continues to give to show us His unconditional love. To reveal to us that yes, He is a Father who disciplines us but also a loving one who wants us to experience His love and life to the fullest.
It makes me fall more in love with Him because of who He is.
How could someone love me THAT much. That though He knew I would turn from Him, He wanted to show me what His love means.
THAT is grace.
He never looks down.
He never pretends I am not there.
God has called us to take care of one another, to put others before ourselves, and to feed the hungry and clothe the needy.
Even if that person decided to use the money for harm… God uses it for good.
They will remember the act of love shown and it will begin to soften their hearts.
We never know how the Lord is going to work. We aren’t called to fix people’s lives… we are simply called to be obedient in the little things.
In the little acts of love and grace.
To reveal to other people who our Heavenly Father is, because He has so beautifully revealed Himself to us.
Look up.
Don’t pretend they aren’t there.
“Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13: 1-2
