By the time we parked, got our cart, toured the isles
looking at a bunch of stuff we didn’t need, filling our cart with the
essentials such as Kleenex’s, paper towels, trail mix, etc the man asking for
money on the side of the road slipped my mind.
I don’t call him homeless because I’m not sure of his
situation. He may have a home but needs money for food. He may not need money
but still trying to collect it from those passing by. I don’t know his story
and at the end of the day does it really matter?
Fast forward through check-out, unloading the cart into the
car and now we are pulling out. We are
several cars back and I see the man still standing on the side of the road with
his sign. He is standing on my side so
in just a few seconds I have a decision to make.
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but if you’re honest with
yourself you have probably done the same thing.
I know in the past I have looked the other way. We justify if we don’t look we don’t see the
person. Today, I’m going to admit as we
were approaching the man the thought crossed my mind that it would be easier to
turn my head, act like I’m in conversation with my husband and just ignore
him. But this time, I couldn’t do
it.
As we approached I looked the man in the eyes, nodded my
head, gave a simple smile and a slight raise of the hand. I acknowledged him. And you know what happened? He smiled back
and waved. We had made a connection.
Whenever I see someone on the side of the road I often
struggle on how to help them and sometimes judge if they really need help. The judgment
on my part is wrong, because it doesn’t matter. Even though I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do
more, I feel what I did may have been greater than giving him money. It may
have been harder to look him in the eye and smile. And for some reason I feel like for him maybe
that is what he needed today on the side of the road, just a smile from a
stranger.
I’m interested to hear if anyone else has struggled with
this issue in the past. I hope the next
time you pass a stranger on the side of the road you will at least smile.
Have a blessed week!
Stephanie
Thanks for putting your experience into words. I personally struggle with this. You expressed exactly what I feel. I will take your advice. Keep making a difference, Stephanie. It is a beautiful thing!
ReplyDeleteLisa-Thank you for your honesty and sharing. I think before we can make changes, no matter what area of our life, we must first acknowledge where we struggle. Thanks again! Stephanie
DeleteThat was a very wise and good thing to do. You taught me something.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
We learn something new everyday, don't we!. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOften I feel bad I didn't do more. What right do we have to judge someone's circumstance? I think the least we can do is treat them like human beings and smile. :) Thanks for sharing. ... If I have the time, I try to pull into a fast food place and just buy a cheap lunch for them. My Church and I also put together "boxes of love" where we include soap, lotion, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, little sowing kit, clippers, hat, small cans of food, etc...and a note of encouragement. When I see someone who looks in need, I hand them the gift. And that $15 box can be a 1,000 blessings. :) Just some fun ideas!
ReplyDeleteI love the boxes of love idea! Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely have to make some of those to keep in my car. Continue to keep blessing others, 1 person at a time.
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