Homeless, On the Beach

Saturday, I had the pleasure of a friend's company for breakfast. Afterwards, driving back from Denny's - I saw a homeless man. You've seen him too every now and again. He had the prerequisite sign "Homeless. Please help. God bless." I wasn't in the correct lane to make a response - or was that the excuse I used today?

"But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" 1 John 3:17

To my credit, I have gone around the block in the past, come back around and done what was in my heart. I've had to ignore all the rationalizations in my head but it sure felt right afterwards. The voice of God, I've found is truly the still, small voice, (1 Kings 19:11&12) a subtle suggestion reaffirming the morals. This voice speaks to the heart, not the ears. Those who know me have heard this before but it is hard to contemplate God's love. I once tried to figure out just how He could love each and every one of us. Some of us are just bad and totally unloveable. Also, He sure doesn't seem to love some people, the impoverished for example. In His indefinable wisdom He enlightened me. In my indefinable simplicity I can't even imagine why He bothered.

I was shown that each of us; rich, poor, or just indefinably simple, was once a pure, tender infant. He loves every one. Why then does it seem He has treated the poor badly? Again, just a little thought and study reveals - when He came to earth in the form of Our Savior, He was born into a family that would be considered today, the working poor. Later in His ministry Christ even went so far as to point that out, that He had no house of His own, no place to lay His head. He said also that it was hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom, a comment that seems to favor the poor. And condemn me. Am I rich? Hell, no. Compared to the guy with the sign? Hmmn.

So where does that leave me? On the beach, that's where. I've found my journey toward spiritual maturity is like the beach, or more specific, like flotsam on the tide. I have come a long, long way from out in the middle of the ocean of worldly living. I make a little progress (like once in a while driving back to help the homeless) then I wash back. Still, I pray that I am heading inevitably toward the shore. John 21 tells the story of how the disciples came in from a bad night of fishing off the Sea of Tiberias. Jesus was waiting for them, even cooking their breakfast. That's the kind of God I'm signing up for. He knows what you've been through all that long, fruitless night. But just when you're the most tired and depressed, ready to give up and go home to drop, there He is waiting, and with a hot meal, no less!

His Grace to all,

Ki