Thursday, January 15, 2015

Desperately Seeking______?

Deuteronomy 15:11
For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land".

     As I look out my sliding glass door to my patio, I see trees and humming birds, among other birds flying from tree to tree.  I see cars passing by in the parking lot of my apartment complex, and I see the lot behind us and the traffic on the street on the other side of the lot.  I see people walking to and from their cars and apartments.  Then, slightly north, I see a dumpster, that we take out our trash to almost daily.  It just sits there in the sunlight of the day, and in the moonlight of the night, waiting on us to fill it up.  There is a peculiarity about it when it is topped with the trash, just before dawn, and after dusk, though sometimes in between.  The peculiarity is that desperate people come along and climb into the bin and rummage through it for their "treasures".  Most are from the streets, with no job, and nowhere to lay their heads at night.  They look for plastic or cans and paper to gather to collect money just to eat, or maybe to obtain other substances, or maybe food itself, whatever the case.  These are desperate people looking...looking for something...desperately seeking.

     Desperate people doing desperate things.  Seeking something...or...seeking Someone.  The poor will always be.  Poor because they have no means, or poor spiritually, though it could be both.  We look out our windows and see them searching, and we do nothing, as we sit comfortably in our chairs.  Giving to the poor doesn't always mean giving them money.  Maybe it's a bite to eat, a place to lay their head, or maybe it's food for their soul...the gospel.  Are they sick?  Are they in prison?  Go and help them.  Many people are afraid to go up to a homeless person.  Though there may be some that are harder to approach than others, we can pray for them, or give them a smile.  Everyone needs Jesus.  

     Digging through the trash to find something of value is like us digging for something we yearn for in our hearts.  We seek out things that we think might make us happy and yet they don't.  Nothing we rummage through makes a difference until we find Jesus.  We just need to find the right place to find our treasures.  The poor need that more than ever, because they are mostly forgotten by their family and by society.  They are outcasts.  But you want to know the truth?  So were we.  And, Jesus was basically and outcast in society's eyes.  He did not have a home of His own, and most people ignored Him.  We need to love our neighbor's as ourselves.  Our neighbors are not just those who have a house across the street.  Our neighbors may not even have a house.  Don't ignore those who seem so different than yourselves, just because they aren't as fortunate as you.  Help those in need and God will reward you.

The next time you see a homeless person walking down the street, if nothing else, just say hello.  It may just make a difference.

Sabrina

     



     

     

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