The last thing that American girls want to happen while waiting for a bus at night internationally is to be approached by strangers. I mean come on, with human trafficking statistics through the roof and movies like Taken selling out theaters, it is difficult to not subconsciously consider that those things could happen to you. However, just two nights ago, as we were sitting by the desolate bus station in Kaunas, Lithuania, a man smelling of stale vodka and cigerette smoke struck up a conversation with us. We quickly realized after a few moments that our friend was indeed harmless, and desperately searching for something, anything really, that could potentially alter the trajectory of his life. After explaining about our trip, and how Jesus has radically wrecked our lives for His purposes, you could immediately sense a spirit of shame befalling over the man in front of us. We uncovered that he was divorced with two children that he hasn’t seen in 7 years, has been ostracized from his immediate family, struggles with an alcohol addiction, and he is currently sleeping on the streets.
In the few extra minutes that we had due to the fact that our bus was late, this by no means was coincidental, we were able to share with this man more love than he had experienced in years. With tears filling the corners of my eyes as we boarded our bus, all I could do was hope and pray that the words we had presented to him would somehow perforate his heart in such a way that he would realize that there is worth to be found for him in Christ.
More and more each day, The Lord is causing me to realize that we have an opportunity to join him in the things he is doing to establish his eternal kingdom on this earth. Whether that looks like reaching out to the homeless man on the street, being bold in your workplace, or even putting ourselves in a situation that the world considers dangerous. Be intentional with your time even when things don’t go according to your plan.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as The Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12-14
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. -Hebrews 13:1-2
