Today the Lord taught through circumstance that I don’t need to go out of my way to be pious.
Yesterday I went with my Dad to Wendy’s, but outside were two separate homeless people sleeping, one on grass behind a dumpster and the other on the grass closer to the parking lot, who were possibly drunk. I went up to each of them and asked them if I could buy them a spicy chicken combo, they both responded with their foot nodding. I brought them their food and gave them five dollars each from what I had left and prayed for them. One was awake when I came and told me his name.
I went back inside and ate with my Dad, and later saw the named man refilling his drink, which he possibly threw out. And when I walked out of the Wendy’s I saw the other man had spilt the drink and was still sleeping. None of this mattered to me, if I were in their situation I would want some to buy me lunch if they could, but this sets the stage for today’s lesson.
Today I went with my parents to Wendy’s to buy to-go, and again I saw maybe two people sleeping on the ground, but this time they were across the street further away. I decided against investigating their appetite, and I felt I was doing evil by not ministering to them.
I was waiting in-line until I realized the man in front was asking the cashier the price of each item and changing his order accordingly. I went up to the man and asked him if I could pay for his meal, and he was almost dumbfounded, he was surprised, he said yes and instead of getting chicken nuggets he got himself a cheeseburger combo. Later, as I was ordering for myself and my parents, I heard him say something along the lines of “I’m the luckiest man right now”. I told him Jesus loves him and cares for him and that if he gave his life to Him God would give him eternal life free of charge. To all that he replied with “That is true, that is true”.
So here’s what I perceive the Lord is telling me through circumstance: that I don’t need to go out of my way, trying to provide for every homeless person I see. Instead, the Lord will orchestrate things in such a way that the one he wants to bless and provide for will be put in my path, they will be put in front of me. If I had gone to investigate the sleeping people across the street I would have missed the man who the Lord wanted to care for.