This week I had the opportunity to go to the East Coast. It was just a small getaway. I didn’t have a whole lot planned for the week. I wanted to take lots of pictures to use with my art. We would head into New York City for the weekend to check things out. Again, I had no set plans. I wanted to just go wherever and see what the Lord had to show me. I figured it would be an adventure and fun to see what God wanted to teach me. I am in a great learning mode and there is probably a great lesson to be learned if we are open to hear what he might be saying.
One night in a quaint little ‘downtown’ suburb my husband and I found a Chinese restaurant to have dinner. I was being brave and told him to order anything for me, shy of things that swam in the water. As he was ordering a man walked in and proceeded to speak with the gal at the door. It almost sounded like he was a salesman and was trying real hard to deliver his speech but was stumbling over his words. I couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying.
One of the gals up front was telling him in broken English that all they carried was fresh food. Again, I was thinking he was a salesman trying to sell them a new food product. I was staring politely, trying to see between my husband and the waitress and to hear between them speaking. I finally got it! I looked up at our waitress and said, "tell the man that he can order anything he wants and we will pay for it". She looked a bit surprised, though not exceedingly, and went to tell the other gals in Chinese what I had said. They told the man.
The man felt a bit uneasy, as he had been the whole time since he had walked in the door. He looks at me and says, “Are you sure?” I was about three tables away from him and we couldn’t hear each other clearly but could tell from the mouth, hand and body language what each other were saying. I said, "yes, tell them whatever you want and they will get it for you.” They finally decided on some rice and lo mien noodles. Then he asked the gals about a quart size container and they all looked at me and I said whatever he wants is fine. I asked him if he liked egg rolls. I finally walked up to him and asked again, “Do you like egg rolls?” He says slowly, "well yes I do like egg rolls.” I told him he had to get egg rolls with his food! He slowly agreed.
While they were cooking his food we talked for a few minutes. He said he was heading on a trip to see his parents. He was about 50 years old. He looked like he could have been your neighbor, your pharmacist, your door-to-door salesmen, etc. He wasn’t dressed raggedy and seemed to know how to handle himself fairly well. While speaking with him I did wonder if he had a mental ‘slowness’. I would tend to describe it as a worn down mental condition. Somewhat akin to when life has just taken its toll and you are mentally tired.
He said his name was Philip and he asked if I lived around here. I explained that we were from Colorado and visiting. I invited him to sit with us but he obviously didn’t feel that comfortable with me and declined. He thanked me for the food and I searched my blank mind to know what to say. I didn’t want it to look like I was this great big person helping poor little him out. God led me to do and say and act. Yes, I responded but that is all. So I just looked at him and said. “We’ll just say it was God.” He just looked, nodded and he agreed. I said good-bye and sat back down.
The waitress came over and said something in broken English then finally said clearer, “Giving. That was a giving thing you did. You like to give” or something to that effect. I just smiled. I didn’t want the glory or praise.
All that said to share this: The next day we were at Grand Central Station. There were multitudes and throngs of people in every direction! When I notice a man sitting by himself and he ‘looked’ like a homeless person. He had the mussed up air, raggedy clothes, he was ‘holding himself’ and gently rocking himself off and on. I looked at my husband and said "do you have any money?" I told him I thought I had a $20. I didn’t feel any more ‘led’ to do something for this man than I did for the other man. Actually I cannot say that I particularly felt ‘led’ at all but it is the old thought of what would you do if you met someone that was in real need.
In Matthew 25 it gives the description of the last judgment. Jesus is speaking about dividing the sheep and the goats with the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. And to those sheep on his right he says how when he was sick, in prison, hungry, thirsty, and a stranger they took care of him. They say, but Lord when did we see you naked or hungry or thirsty or in prison and come to you? Jesus replies to the righteous, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.
So in light of this scripture I wanted to do what was expected of me as unto my Lord. I took the $20 and rolled it up and went and gently put it in this mans hands. (Wow! Aint I special!) The man promptly throws the money on the floor! I look at him, my husband and then the money. What do I do? I went and picked it up to try to hand it to him again. He scoots down the bench away from me. Wow! I was bewildered. I didn’t know what my right and religious response should be. I stood there for a few minutes baffled just watching the man. Then out of not knowing what else to do I walked away… with the money in hand.
I pondered the situation for a long while into the day. I probably should have just left the money on the floor and walked away. Maybe this man knew the all-too importance of money and figured I really didn’t intend to part with it or it was a token religious duty. Maybe if I had left the money he would have seen I wasn’t as concerned about the money as I was about him. Maybe when I turned the corner he would have picked it up. Maybe a lot of things.
It cracked my religious veneer. I know the Lord saw my heart and the intentions within. I really wanted to help that man. Was I offering him my best as if it were Jesus? Had it really been Jesus would I have gone to the ATM to get more to give? Was the $20 a token act of righteousness? I know the man had no idea how much it was. It could have been a hundred dollar bill. But God knew how much and for whatever reasons these two circumstances happened to me with 24 hours of traveling and there is a lesson, a relearning, something God is trying to show me. I am sure it is an area in my life that needs great improvement on. It is amazing how uppity we can get when God allows us the treat of doing something to the least of my brethren. We feel righteous and so spiritual. Then God will bring us back to reality just when we think we have a corner on doing something ‘right’.
Even though the scriptures talk about doing these things it’s not about doing right it is still all about and always will be about a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the lover of our souls.
My unrelenting prayer would be: Lord continue to shatter this religious veneer until I am stripped clean and stand before you naked clothed only in humility.
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