I believe in God and everything around me, even the things that I cannot see or touch. I believe in life’s greater powers and I know that they are out there. Somewhere along this journey called, “Life” we become jaded and we develop tunnel vision.
Miracles are made, signs are there, and God may even test us every now and then. We have to keep an open mind and never ignore that inner feeling that is so strong it makes you do things out of character from time to time.
I was driving through a very underprivileged area not so long ago and a man was sitting there begging for money. I have witnessed this scene many times. I’ve seen it on city streets so often I’ve become immune to the noise of the homeless, desolate, and mentally depressed and their cries for help.
But, on this one day I was simply driving past a man and as I waited in my car at a red light I felt a chill through my bones. The man looked beat down and worn out from head to toe. He was a disheveled mess and sat with his head in his hands. In an instance I felt pity and in a minute my mind drifted to the minute of his life that quite possibly changed him and lead him to a life on the streets.
I wondered if he was a war veteran, a child of abuse, a drug addict, a mentally ill soul locked up within himself, or if he was God. Could he be God walking around in this man’s body testing mankind to see what we would do to help?
If we are all sisters and brothers why do we walk away, shrug off the victims, say, “no,” sneer at their moaning, and look right through these human beings as if they are not even there. Why do we judge and what right do we have?
I myself have wondered and commented to my friends on how they should get a job. McDonald’s is always hiring. They should make an honest living. Why don’t they get help? But, why should I ask why and why do I have the right to assume what they have gone through? I don’t. You don’t. None of us will know unless we walk a mile in their shoes.
Through the years I have offered food and sometimes even money. I could never turn away a hungry person. When I dine out in the city I always get my leftovers boxed. Many times I have given it to a random person asking for food. Many nights I have placed it on the top of the trash can or next to it so that someone doesn’t have to rummage through the trash to find their dinner for the night.
I have been in my family’s company when a man asks for something to eat and he has no money to pay. We never say no at our family food business. If you’re starving the hunger is in your eyes. There is no denying it.
Many people have come in and out of our business looking for a few bucks and my father or my uncle always dig deep in their pockets and offer up what they can for the poor souls that need it.
They have been known to give out a food, drinks, money, advice, and even cigarettes. And, if you asked I would bet my life they would give you the shirt off their backs too. That’s just the way they are and I’m glad they’re my family. I learned a lot about compassion over the years because of their kind hearts.
I asked, “Dad, why would you give that man cigarettes? You know they are bad for him?” His answer: “If that’s all he has in life that he really enjoys, let him enjoy it.”
That simple answer resonates with me until this day. It may not be the Surgeon General’s recommendation, but my father seems to think this man deserves to do what he wants to do and if he can help, he will.
I say, “You’re a good man, dad.”
I also say he has passed God’s test. He never judges and he takes care of the less fortunate whenever he can.
I know that a dollar may not make a difference, a soda, soft pretzel, or bag of chips from the street vendor will only satisfy the hunger for a little while. But, a smile, eye contact, and acknowledgement will satisfy their soul for a long while.
That homeless person could have been a millionaire on Wall Street, the mother of a murdered child, a mentally ill man that was given up on, a Viet Nam veteran that never really came home from war, an orphan that never knew his parent’s and never had a family, a person without anywhere to turn for help. It could be God undercover. It could be an angel on earth. It could be you if your life changed in a minute.
I ask myself what Jesus would do. But, I already know because there is a higher power in all of us. We are the greater power and we should use our strength to help everyone.
Act first when it comes to compassion, and if you must, judge later.
It takes a second to help one person and if we all did our part every man, woman, and child would have a little more hope in their hearts and we would all pass God’s test.
And, if you believe in God, then you know we could never fail his test. He forgives us of our sins. But, if you do nothing you will fail yourself and your conscience will always be there to judge you like you have done to others.
