Yesterday, while we were downtown Atlanta at the Coke Museum, we paused to have some lunch near a drinking fountain. As we were eating a man came to get a drink, wearing a tattered overloaded backpack and looking down trodden. Lucas looked at me and said "that man doesn't have a home...we should give him some food". We were already done eating. But, I offered to go get him a hot dog. He said yes. While I was gone, my brother and Lucas were sitting near him and of course Lucas struck up conversation with the man. He found out indeed he was without a home, and my brother said the man told him that he was "broke" and had no job.
I came back with the hot dog and we gave it to the man. I told him "May God Bless you".
He left and headed across the streeet the The Atlanta Rescue Mission.
Lucas's heart was broken for the man as he told me "dat man has no mommy or daddy, and no home...that is sad".
I agreed.
His sweet sensitive heart just cannot walk away from these guys. He wants to serve them and make sure they have food. The lonliest hardest part for him to reconcile is the fact that the man "has no mommy or daddy". Of course as an adult, I'm thinking, he wouldn't be living with them anyway because he is a grown man. But, that doesn't seem to register with Lucas. The thing that is registering with him is the fact that he has "nobody" to go home to or be with...no family.
How or why would I ever turn my back on an opportunity to serve someone like that---especially with Lucas looking right at me...
I wonder
How many times have I walked past someone and Jesus just looked at me and said..."he has nobody..." yet I've walked right past them. I think I need to be more alert and aware of the world around me and stop whining and complaining about the little things that bug me.
I have family.
I have food.
We have a little income.
We have a home
Lord, teach me to be thankful
Teach me to be as aware of people's needs as Lucas is.
It is quite humbling...
ReplyDelete