Angels on the Streets

In Joburg, South Africa I began to realize I didn’t really have a heart to truly witness to people and to pray for people. At least not to go out of my way to do it.
 

One day as we were walking up a street to go where our guys were staying, I saw this man maybe in his 30’s walking on the other side of the street who was disabled in his legs. Not sure what was wrong with his legs but he couldn’t walk right and it was at a pretty slow pace.

So as I noticed him, he looked over and with a big smile on his face he said “good morning, how is it?” as most of the south african’s say. So me and my squad mate (and great friend :)) Ruth small talked with him a little bit as we were walking up the street. As we kept walking up to the top of the hill we saw him chatting with another man and about to turn down another street. We walked for a few seconds more and I was talking to God saying, “Lord, I don’t have to go pray for him really I can do it from here, really it’s no big deal.” as I walked step by step I realized, good gosh I can’t do something so simple as go pray for a man that is crippled! I say I’m a missionary and willing to do anything for the Lord and I can’t go pray for a man who I knew would not say no to prayer. So me and Ruth talked about it-and how disgusting we were with ourselves-and decided we had to go back to find him and pray for him.

Take into account that it was maybe a minute or 2 that we had not seen him and he was going at a verrryyy slow pace.

So we sped walk down the hill to go find him and go in the direction he was going.
 

That incident really began to make me think about how I needed and wanted to find a love for praying for people, witnessing to people, and having such a care for their souls and a genuine godly love for each person. To adopt the idea of viewing others as really interacting with Jesus and seeing each person as Jesus, but also to see them as the royalty that they are-that they are sons and daughters of the King, that they can help change this world, they can help bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, and their souls will be saved!
 
So I’m learning and in the process of walking out viewing every single person as Jesus, as an angel, as a precious child of God, as potential to help change the world and bring the kingdom of God to this earth. The Lord has really changed my heart in this and I actually get excited to witness and am learning what are key entry ways into casually and not forcefully speaking about Christ and His amazing love for us.