He was desperately poor - ripped shirt, worn and frayed pants, trash-worthy shoes, no socks. He had a totally unkempt appearance, with a straggly beard, stringy hair, and smelling of a desperately needed bath. His shopping cart held various "treasures" that were precariously stacked or tied. A threadbare sock tied at his waist would hold the proceeds from today's scrounging for cans and bottles. What he would do with his profits and where he would go would be of little concern to anyone. He was just one of many who crossed paths daily at this center but whose stories remained untold. And yet there was something about his eyes - a kindness that was visible behind the smudges.
This particular day was miserably hot and humid. Everyone was rushing to finish the laborsome task of recycling bottle after bottle. The machine was not cooperating as it struggled to keep up with the demands placed upon it. The attendant, a man too old for this type of work, hustled from one machine to another, trying to coax them into continuing their task. As he labored and struggled, sweat ran down his face, his back, and his arms. Customers, impatient to be finished, spoke to him in clipped demeaning tones and angrily responded to any small delay. It was a miserable experience for everyone involved.
The homeless man didn't seem upset at all as he pushed bottle after bottle into the recycler. When he had completed his task, he took his receipt and walked into the store. A few minutes later, he emerged with a large orange Gatorade in one hand and his dirty sock in the other. He handed the bottle to the recycling attendant and started to walk away. The attendant began searching his pockets for the cash to give him but the homeless man just turned and smiled. "It's on me today, man" he said as he walked off, pushing his cart and humming to himself.
I could barely choke back the tears. How many times had I come here to recycle and had never thought to show such kindness to another? This was the Bible in action. I thought of several passages at once...the widow giving her last cent in service to the Lord, the many exhortations we have to show our love by our actions, the passages about showing favoritism to those who "look right". But the one that struck me the most is in Matthew 25. Jesus divided His "followers" into sheep and goats by whether or not they fed Him, gave Him a drink, visited Him, clothed Him, welcomed Him and cared for Him when He was sick! It was actions, not words, that made the difference.
The old song says "They will know we are Christians by our love" - works of thoughtfulness and kindness, deeds of selflessness and generosity. Those things shine a light brighter than any testimonies we could share or sermons we could preach. And thanks to that homeless man, that lesson has again be revived in my heart - and now hopefully I've rekindled it in yours too!
*adapted from a story in "Answering the Invitation", a blog by Katchen Weaver (My precious daughter in law)
No comments:
Post a Comment