God works on our hearts in mysterious little ways.
As I stood with the bag in my hand, a lady was to my left, a man in his car to my right; unwanted spectators in my moment of insecurity. I waited, I hesitated. I let my mind wander into those of my spectators. Their voices sounded very much like my own.
'Why would you give him food?'
' He's probably a drug addict!'
' It's his own fault why he's here in this state'
' You are being an enabler.'
In a moment, a voice cried out softly and said, ' it doesn't matter why he's here, your job is not to judge him but to help him.' ' You were once found wanting too, but I still loved you.'
With that, I handed over the bag with just a ' Sir, sir...here.' He barely looked me in the face, but he did say thank you. He didn't look in the bag, he put it beside him. He went back into his world. I didn't get the gratification I think I wanted for my good deed.
God, has ways, of working on your heart.
In that split second before I handed over my obedience to this man, I thought of what I should say. I ended up saying..Sir...Sir...here; I pondered saying Jesus loves you. I didn't.
Why?....because I saw a man blackened with dirt, filled with metal rings on his fingers, hanging unto a dog on a leash and thought...in a split second...hearing the words 'Jesus loves you' wouldn't mean a thing!
In a split second, I thought, that the good news that Jesus loves us, would mean nothing to a person in their lowest state. In a split second, I thought hearing about the love of God would have no bearing on a man who no one saw, who people avoided, who the world 'justifiably'ignored. How would hearing that Jesus loved him make a difference to him?
Jesus, he works on hearts, in mysterious ways.
I drove away, again, having this time delivered food but not the bread of life. I felt like I failed again. How could a self proclaimed Christian not think that the good news is worth sharing to anyone at anytime under any circumstances?
I thought about my choice for a while, it rested on me like a cross too heavy to bear alone. It dawned on me that my choice is what so many make on a daily basis. How we complicate the simplicity of Jesus' love! How we over think what Jesus can do and inflate what we do. Jesus never asked us to save anyone. He just asked us to be messengers.
We need only to be on one accord with what Jesus came to do...save us..love us.....first.
I made up in my mind, in only a split second, that hearing that 'Jesus loves you' would have zero bearing on a man that was living on the streets, how could he? If Jesus loved him, wouldn't he be with family and friends? Would Jesus love him homeless?....I knew he would think these things if I told him these three words...I withheld. I over reached, over stepped, over thought, and made the love of God small enough to fit into ' my own understanding.'
Jesus, changes hearts. He's changing mine with not so chance encounters.
The Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to behold, I don't know what he's up to, but I know he's up to something. I trust his heart. I trust my heart in his hands.
That simple sentence, 'Jesus loves you ' it carries weight, heavy enough to stand on its own yet simple enough that it needs no further explanation. It just is.
And isn't the love of Jesus something wonderful? That love that boldly bore my sins and yours. That love that stood unashamed betwixt two thieves. That love that has the holes in hands to prove to all the doubters that it is real. That love that reaches us from our earthly graves. That loves that does not care about our station in life. That love that rescues the perishing and cares for the dying. That love that's says..I loved you first. That love that calls us friend. That love that calls us heirs. That love that invites us All in. That's the love that we must share.
Share it often. Share it everywhere.
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