“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat… We must find each other.”
~Mother Teresa~
I cringe when I think of the millions of uncared for people who wake up each day and face the reality of what their life has become. From the homeless man on the street and the 29 year old gay man lying in a hospital dying of aids to the nine year old little girl who was kidnapped and forced into prostitution in Singapore…. they must all feel forgotten. What if that had been you?
A reverend in the UK did perform a role reversal by dressing as a homeless man and lying right in the doorway of the church steps on a Sunday morning. Not one member of the congregation greeted him, offered him food, water, or even the slightest hint of care. In fact, some were down right rude and insulting. When the reverend finally revealed himself they were all ashamed. Have you ever been there? Should we be ashamed of our actions?
You may have convinced yourself that you are only one person and therefore you can’t do anything on your own but that is a lie from the pit of hell. You are one person who is a part of the body of Christ. We make a difference as a whole but each must do his or her part.
What would God have you do?
If you are skeptical of the man holding a sign on the interstate does that mean he should be ignored? No. Whether he truly is homeless, a drunkard, a drug addict, or a con artist pretending to be any of the above for sympathy in the form of money, does he deserve to be judged and condemned? Doesn’t he deserve love all the same? Greet him. Make eye contact. Offer him a coffee. If you truly don’t have time or money at least smile and let him know that you will pray for him and do so immediately.
This is about our heart! We have to love as Christ did. We must feed the hungry, clothe the poor, love the uncared for, and pray for them all. If you still feel uncomfortable doing these things then pray and ask God to remove the scales from your eyes and tell him you are willing to allow him to change your heart concerning these issues. Then, let him work through you. You never know what God is up to and when he could place an eternal moment in your hands.
Love your neighbor as yourself. He commands it.
Wow, the part about the role-reversal thing really hit home with me. A few years ago at a Dare2Share youth conference, the president of Dare2Share Ministries did the same thing. He revealed himself the first night of the conference, but did not address the comments and such until the last night. That really struck me to the heart. I had not made an outloud comment, but I thought something that was not the nicest thing. Now I am much less likely to be judgemental about people I see on the streets.
I’m new to your blog and love it. This post makes me think of the homeless guy (aka God) at the end of the movie Bruce Almighty. It behooves us to find a bit of God in everyone.
Sorry I am joining in so late today. It’s been a crazy 24 hours! But, what a great thought-provoking quote. Thanks so much for sharing on this!
Hm, good thoughts. I wonder how I would have responded to the disguised pastor. When I travel to a big city and see homeless people on the streets, my instinct is to move closer to my husband.
~Kate
Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?
http://www.proverbs14-1.blogspot.com
Every day we pass people who may be the unwanted and unloved. Amy, your blog is always thought-provoking. Thank you for all your efforts.
You are so right. As I said in my post, it’s time for the feet of my heart to hit the pavement. Great quote and great post.
I think our reaction when we encounter situations like this really tell us exactly where we stand in our relationship with God.
Great post!
What a great post!
What you write is so true! We all need to be reminded to stop and look in the eyes of those we discard so easily and to give to them as unto the Lord and to pray for them.
Thanks
Sheila
Good morning Amy! You are always so insightful, and a blessing to my day. Mine is short today, because my morning is pretty busy, but I’ll be back this afternoon and visit the rest of our IOW friends. Have a great Tuesday! Nina
Hey Amy,
Looks like we were on the same page! I wrote my post a few days ago while on vacation. Yes, just being around so many nice things and enjoying sheer luxury, this quote hit HARD.
Thanks for being our hostess today.
Great word, you’ve challenged us all.
Blessings!!
Great post, thanks for shooting straight for the heart. And wow, what that priest did must’ve been a major wake up call to his congregation!
Great message. A simple bag of food handed out can make a difference. My grandkids fight over who gets to give the next person we see a bag of food.
Great thoughts Amy! I’ll be back with my post later today. Thanks for being our host this week.
This is an important topic, Amy. I confess I often feel uncomfortable around a man on a street corner with a sign and wonder so long about what would be best for him I end up doing nothing.
I like your suggestion to pray about it. Good idea. The only problem then is that God would be faithful to work on my issues when I’d rather ignore them. Scary.
Yes, I know, I’m a wuss.
Thanks for a great quote, Amy.
Amen my friend, amen.