I missed the last night of the Awakening!
I met a Homeless man named
Kevin. He had shown up a few days earlier and given his drugs to
another racer named Colby to flush down the toilet.
I got introduced because I will be here for the month and I was going to hang with him.
6 hours later Colby, a guy named Kevin, and I are pouring into the Homeless dude named Kevin!
He
had spent his money to go out to a restaurant/bar with a few other
racers who had somewhat told him that he could stay with us.
He then got kicked out of the campground cause he never paid to be there.
He missed a meeting with his parole officer because he chose to come to a service at the awakening..
Good intentions, bad choice!
Now he is a wanted felon.
We talked to him God knows how long!
We finally convince him that
the best choice for him to make is to go and beg the parole officer for
forgiveness and mercy. We explained that we would go with him and vouch
for him that he wasnt out doing drugs, but actually seeking help!
(Disclaimer: I dont believe that all homeless people are fully sincere
in the things they say and do, but there was something different about
Kevin! I believed him and his story!)
So He is convinced that if
he turns himself in, he will go back to prison for 6 months because he
missed that meeting. We believed it. That is the punishment for making a
bad choice like missing your parole meeting!
SO he said he might as well turn himself into the police station. We
told him we werent making him, but we believe that is better than
running from the law, and making the punishment worse!
Next thing
I know we are walking to the police station.. We get outside of the
police station, and he is crying and freaking out and scared!
We hugged him, we told him that he was gonna make it. We prayed for him,
we offered every piece of Godly wisdom and advice we could. We walked
him to the door of the station…
He chose to not go in. He chose to
walk away, and live in fear of getting caught. He wasn’t willing to make
the sacrifice of 6 months for the freedom on the far side. Kevin left
us with 2 euros in his pocket a wanted man.
I am reminded of the rich man that came to Jesus. He said, “Jesus, I have obeyed the commandments all of my life. What now?”
Jesus responds, “sell it all and give to the poor.”
When
the rich man recognized that there was a hard sacrifice, when he
recognized that there was more than what he thought and more than he
wanted to give, he walked away.
Kevin saw a cost that he wasn’t willing to pay.
He walked away a wanted man…
Man,
some people just miss the big picture. We did what we could, and we
said all the right words, but he just didnt get it; and that is a hard
truth of life. Some will hear the word, and embrace it. Some will walk
away.
That is my story for this week…
