The least of these
On my drive in to work today, I was stopped at the light heading into uptown. This corner routinely has a rotation of homeless men seeking support. I started keeping small bills in my car for the sole purpose of having something to give them when I am stopped at the light. I wish I could say I have always done this, but there was a turn of events in my life that led me to change how I engage with our homeless population.
It’s not my story to tell, although she has shared many times in her personal testimony. What I can share is that someone I hold dear was suffering through addiction and through choices she made, ended up homeless and bouncing from one friend’s sofa to another. It changes how you see the life of a stranger when you realize how fragile and close to being in the same shoes any of us could be. What if you suffered through mental illness, addiction, poor choices, and eventually hit your rock bottom? What if you didn’t have the family to help you through those moments, or if your family finally had to let you go to save you?
As we are reminded “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Who are we to pass judgement or limitations on what we give to the least of us? I hope you do not see this as a lecture, but as I did, an awakening. We are called to love our fellow man-even those that do not look like or have the opportunity to walk the same path that we do.
Shortly after I had that moment with a dear loved one, I was at that same light and saw an individual I had encountered but ignored many times. That day, I had a $10 bill and handed it to him and wished him a blessed day and told him he was loved, that he mattered. He paused and thanked me profusely-he shared that Bojangles had a special and it would feed him all day. I have no idea how his day went, I simply know that it gave me joy to treat him kindly- the $10 that meant little to me may have, in that moment, moved him and changed his day for the better-even if only for a moment.
I’ve continued down that path since that first day. Sometimes I have hot hands with me during the winter months or cold water bottles during the hot summer days. Sometimes it’s a lunch or dinner for someone I encounter on the street, sometimes, it’s breaking bread with someone at Room at the Inn at our church and just sharing in dinner conversations as we provide them food and a place to rest for the night.
Today I encourage you to remember to treat the least of these as we would treat Jesus, as we would want to be treated if we were ever to find ourselves in the same place. Maybe, you’ll find that special connection-maybe you’ll see that Godwink in that encounter.
