It was a typical, hot summer, Thursday afternoon in Georgia. I was driving down I75 in Atlanta headed back to work. As I pulled off my exit I could see a man sitting at the corner at the very top with a sign. The sign I could not make out, but judging by his appearance I figured the man was homeless. I turned right, was ready to drive by with only a fleeting thought, but right as I turned great conviction came over me to stop.
I pulled into a little gas station, located about 250 yards away from where the man was sitting. I had to cross a small field to reach him. It only took about a hundred yards in the heat for me to break a sweat. So I wasn’t surprised as I reached him at the smell that claimed the space around him. We spoke for a minute; I asked if I could buy him lunch? He agreed and we made our way back across the field.
He didn’t carry a very strong physical presence, if I was down the road I would probably not even notice him walking towards me in the opposite direction. The only thing that might catch my attention and cause me to glance for a moment is the fact that it appeared as though he didn’t exist at all. I took note of his slender build and the white spots that freckled his face under his long hair. His clothing was tattered. He chuckled and commented on how I couldn’t be from the Atlanta area as he climbed into my car. (I know what your thinking mom… “you let him drive with you in the car?” But look I’m alive so really no reason to worry.) I had a chuckle myself as I thought at what my mother would have to say about this. I replied with a simple “yes” as I pulled out of my parking spot.
The Subway was just a short distance from where I was parked and so it only took us a moment to arrive. We walked in, the bell went off to announce our arrival, he seemed embarrassed. The four walls that surrounded us intensified the smell escaping from his pours. And not to my surprise people sitting in the booths surrounding us began to stare. I thought for a moment if the people in the booth were me and I them, would I be giving those same exact stares. I brushed the thought off and let Mickey order and then we sat for a moment in the coolness of the shop.
I asked about his life, and he began to tell me about his mother. His crystal blue eyes filled with water and began to drop like a steady rain from the sky. He had been a business man living in a house, had a car to drive, and was independent. His father left him and his mother at a young age and so he was very close to her. She had been diagnosed with cancer and doctors told them it was treatable and so he moved home to take care of her, but not 5 months after being diagnosed she passed away. Bitterness and pain flowed from his lips as he explained his demise into depression, guilt, and eventually inability to function.
He spoke about his current situation and the pain he still felt from losing his mother. I couldn’t help but look into his eyes and feel pity. No wait, I stopped and examined my emotions. I realized that it wasn’t pity but my own sense of helplessness. I wanted to give more, share more, provide more for him but wasn’t able too. He finished eating and we prayed together for a moment. Then we drove back to where I had found him and as he stepped out of the car he gave me one more “Thank You” and then shut the door and disappeared. Back on the street, back to being invisible to the thousands of cars that drive by him.
I was so thankful that God was providing an opportunity for both me and Mickey. For Mickie it was physical, food, a drink, and a pair of ears to listen and engage him. For me it was preparation for what is to come. The World Race will be filled with encounters of people who need more than what we can provide. Some will need food, shelter, clothing, and education, but the majority of the time we won’t be able to fill those needs. However, it’s important for me to realize that providing those things may not be God’s will, and it’s not my place to provide and reality is it’s impossible without Him. Rather our physical presence may be all that God desires from us. A word of encouragement, ears to listen, hugs to show love, hands to touch. It’s not my will but Gods will.
