Laying in bed it hit me.
“Sarah! That was so stupid! Do you not see how ignorant you looked in that moment? You missed it! You missed it completely.”
It was our last Sunday church service of the World Race (scary thought) and I learned, thanks to my Cold Stone promotion email, that today was National Ice Cream day. I, being an avid lover of ice cream, sweet talked our dear friend and contact, Carol, into stopping for the icy cold treat on our way home. With a smile on her face, she agreed and so we found ourselves stopped in the parking lot between a gas station and McDonalds.
A couple of my teammates and I chose the gas station option to purchase an ever so delicious Magnum bar. After making our purchases we hastily opened our ice cream and began to enjoy the occasion from South Africa. While enjoying the dessert (in the cold evening), I spotted out of the corner of my eye a man standing behind a tall stack of fire wood outside the gas station’s entrance. He didn’t move much, other than the slow sway he made from side to side, I suspect to keep warm. Not thinking much of the matter, I quick pulled out my smart phone to take a picture with my friends. Our selfie enjoying the overpriced ice cream bars, was about to become my next Instagram post.
Minutes passed and we chatted with Carol’s husband while waiting for the other girls to get back from McDonalds with their purchases. As we waited longer, an employee sitting inside the station walked outside to offer the man the leftover rice from his supper. The outside man accepted and ate the remaining food with purpose. With the girl’s return, we climbed into the warm car and drove away from the scene.
Back in bed it all became clear to me:
The man outside was homeless.
The worker who offered his meal was simply eating rice for dinner.
I just paid the equivalent of 3 hours wages, in South Africa, for an ice cream bar!
I ate, in pure ignorance, this luxury treat right in front of a starving man…and then Instagramed it!
I lay in bed disgusted at myself. How did I miss that?! Why did I not do something noble and Christ-like in that moment? What was the homeless man thinking as he watched us indulge in our luxuries?
It is hard, but in this moment I am thankful. Not because of what I have, but because even in my selfishness God can use moments like this to teach me a valuable lesson. I have learned to better open my eyes to the needs of people around me. Each day God gives us the opportunity to love others more than we love ourselves. Each day there are people we interact with that have needs we can easily fill.
To be honest I will never know why I was completely blinded to this opportunity to serve. But, if it was solely for me to learn this lesson, I am at peace with that. I can guarantee you this is not the first time I wish I could have a do over. I bet many of you have had moments, perhaps similar to mine, where you wish you would have been a better ambassador of Christ. Let my testimony be an encouragement to you, that even in our mistakes, God has a lesson you can learn through it.
So there it is; open your eyes to those around you, serve others by meeting their needs, and if you miss it, take in the moment as a lesson for how you’ll do better the next time.
