Remembering the Good
Why is it that some days and weeks come to us as sweet as spring, and others like the dead of winter? I suppose our lives have seasons in them too. The last couple of weeks have been harder ones for me overall. Though there has been good moments, it seems that we remember the hard or bad more than the smiling ones. Knowing that, I try to reflect on the good.
Sunday I decided to go to the evening service at church as it's a lot less crowded. After a couple of minutes of sitting, a man by the name of William came and sat next to me. The stale smell of cigarettes and alcohol was noticeable, and I wondered if he might be homeless. When I introduced myself and asked him his name, there was a twinkle in his eye, a connection that only seems to be there with fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's an unexplainable mystery. During one of the songs we sang, I noticed his hand raised in praise to God, and inside I smiled. After the service, as we walked out, William asked me if I had any money so that he could get something to eat as he hadn't had a bite all day. I thought for a moment, and said, "I don't think I have any cash, but can I buy you dinner?" He responded with a, "Yes. That'd be really nice." So, we headed down the street to MacDonald's.
We talked of his situation and how he got there. Upon having an accident, he lost his job, and soon after his lost his home. The accident caused bleeding in his brain, which in turn causes seizures that come at random. It hasn't been taken care of completely yet, but he says he still has medical. He is just so thankful for a dry place to sleep at night, with blankets to keep him warm.
William said he hasn't been to church in five years, but that it was really nice to go again. He said he knows that he needs to press into God again, and that this was a good experience for him.
I think of these few minutes I spent with him and am thankful, and hope I will get to see him again soon.
So, even when things are rough, even in the disagreement that I had with my boss this week, I know that overall, I have a lot of blessings in my life that I need to remember and praise God for. Tomorrow, could prove to offer the same things to me as it has to this man, but one thing I know, God promises that He will never leave nor forsake us, and we can bank our faith on that.
posted by Bethany @ 1:31 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
No Kidding. I had a similar experience with a homeless man called Larry, 6 years ago in Seattle. Only more intense and not in a church. As I prayed for him, Larry wept bitterly. Then I asked him to pray for me, but he will not mutter a word. He told me he considered himself not worthy to pray to God. It's a sincerity and humility that I admire. It was terrible that at the end of the night, I had to retire to my cozy hotel room, while he went back to the wreckage he usually sleeps on, by the street facing Lake Washington. I have always felt guilty about it and Larry still pops up in my mind sporadically, many years later. But what should I have done? Invite him into my room? What if he were a serial killer? Bethany, I am sure you can relate the same with this man that you met at church? What could you have done to make his life better long term than simply buying him food? These are big moral questions. What would Jesus have done? To follow Christ is not easy. The commandment to love our neighbor in theory can be appealing, but in practice is one of the hardest things ever.
Life sucks and is unfair. The poor it seems we will always have with us, and no matter what is done to ameliorate poverty, it seems someone will always somehow still be poor. The slipping through the cracks effects. God help us. That's the best we can pray.
Post a Comment
<< Home