In around 2012, I was walking from my hotel to my company’s office building in downtown San Francisco. I remember the day vividly. It was a crisp morning, and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. I was feeling great. My confidence was high. I was at a good place in my life professionally, but I will admit that my relationship with Christ was not at a place of strength. I was a believer but not living it.
My post is a little longer today, but I would like to share my journey with you. I hope you will stick with me and read until the end.
As I walked down the sidewalk, I encountered morning commuters. People were walking with purpose. They had a place to be, and they were rushing to get there. It was a typical San Francisco street that was a bustling with lots of people. In addition, I saw many homeless people, most sitting along the sidewalk asking for food or money. My memory is that no one was stopping to help them out, including me. None of the homeless approached me but I tend to look at people in the face to acknowledge them. Perhaps it’s how I was raised or maybe my Midwest upbringing, but a “Good morning” or a head nod to acknowledge a person was my typical pattern. I have done this throughout my life, in small towns, major cities, or just walking in my neighborhood.
As I continued to my destination, I could see a homeless man walking down the sidewalk towards me. I was quickly studying him. His head was down. He had no bags or possessions, only the clothes on his back. He was dirty. He had way more clothes on than the weather that day required. I remember doing a quick assessment and what flashed through my mind was, “he is completely broken.” As we walked past each other, we locked eyes. I didn’t say anything. I made a facial gesture, something like a half-smile, a head nod, to acknowledge him.
The next twenty seconds are forever ingrained in my memory. He spun around as my back was to him and he began to shout at me. “What are you looking at? Do you think you are better than me? Don’t you look at me? Don’t you ever look at me!”
Keep in mind, there are hundreds of people around us, and a man I don’t know, is screaming at me on the sidewalk. My confident swagger then turned to nervousness, embarrassment, discomfort, and ultimately, I fled from the situation. I don’t recall what else he said from that point, as he continued to yell, but I hurried from the scene with a much brisker walk to my destination.
From that moment, I would say I became somewhat afraid or intimidated by homeless people. We live in the Washington DC area and encounter the homeless frequently. We see them on sidewalks or begging for money at stoplights. “Don’t give them money. They will just buy drugs or alcohol.” “Have you seen the news coverage of people who say they are homeless and then they walk over to their nice car and drive away?”
All these negative thoughts went through my mind for years as I would be confronted with people in need. I made many excuses why I should not engage the homeless, and shamefully, I did not give money or acknowledge the homeless for years.
Today’s reading is Luke chapter 10. Verses 25 to 37 are the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. In case you have not read it, here’s the summary. Jesus said, a man was walking between two cities, he was robbed, beaten, “leaving him half dead.” A priest saw him and “he passed by on the other side.” A Levite saw him and “he passed by on the other side.” Then, a good Samaritan came to where the man was, “when he saw him, he had compassion.” He “bandaged his wounds,” and “brought him to an inn and took care of him.” When the good Samaritan left the inn, he gave the innkeeper money and said to him, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.”
God has been working on me the past few years. I have had numerous Bible studies, sermons, podcasts, and conversations where helping homeless people has been on my heart. I have not known what to do with these “voices.” Is this God speaking to me? Is this what it is like when the Holy Spirit is “talking to me” or influencing me?
A couple months ago, my family and I were driving near the city, waiting in line at a stop light. There was a man sitting on the side of the road, begging for money. He was smiling, looking people in the eye, and wishing them to “have a great day.” He appeared to be homeless, he was very dirty, had tattered clothes and there was a bag of what looked like his possessions behind him. In that moment, I felt compelled to help him. I rolled down my window, he approached. I cannot recall exactly what he said but he gave me a pleasant greeting. I was nervous and wanted to hurry through the encounter. Get it over with and move on. I handed him money and the first thing that came to mind was, “what is his name?” “Sir, I hope this helps. I will pray for you and hope that your situation gets better. Don’t give up. Pray to God for strength and He will help you. What is your name?” He looked me in the eyes and said, “Thank you. I really appreciate that. My name is Peter.”
A couple weeks later, we are in the car at a different stop light. I see another man begging for money. I reached for a few dollars, not thinking about what the man will do with the money, but that he is asking for help. “Sir, here is some money, I hope this helps you. I will pray for you. What is your name?” He responded, “Thank you for asking, sir, my name is Matt.”
To say I am ashamed is an understatement. For years, I have turned my back on God’s children in need. Who am I to judge what they will do with what I give them? Yes, many homeless are addicts and some have a mental illness. Bottom line is they are in need and asking for help. Period. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Is it a coincidence that the names of the first two homeless people I helped had names of Jesus’ disciples? Yes, Peter and Matthew were two of Jesus’ closest confidants throughout his three years of ministry on earth.
My prayer is that you hear my journey of fear and selfishness and, perhaps, it stirs emotion in you to help others. I pray that we all look our fellow man in the eye, with compassion, reserving judgement and negative thoughts. Every person has a story, good or bad, about the journey that life has taken them on. Every soul is worth saving and every heart is worth healing as we are all God’s children. The most powerful force that saves people’s lives and brings about everlasting change is having a relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Bring words of hope, peace, and comfort to those in need. They may not acknowledge you, respond with the perfect comment to you in the moment, or even seem thankful for your generosity. Should we only give to others if they seem to appreciate it?
Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, all the while knowing His fellow man, the very people He was dying for, would turn on Him and sentence Him to a terrible death. Moving forward, I think I can muster the courage to give and not expect anything in return. That is what Jesus did. I will give freely to God’s children and not expect anything in return.
Photo Credit: Orthodox Christian Network
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