Matthew 25:40 ~ We ALL NEED TO LIVE BY IT DAILY!!

NOT COUPON RELATED BUT POWERFUL

I am crying as I am writing this so I surely hope this makes sense. Today, Jamie and I decided to go to Kmart and do the toilet paper deal so we could donate some more to the Cherry Street Mission (The Homeless Shelter in Toledo, OH). We also called our oldest daughter, Ciera, to see if she wanted to meet us for lunch. We went back and forth where we were going to go and finally decided on Red Wells (a well-known place in Toledo for Roast Beef sandwiches). We have not been there in probably ten years. We went to Kmart and headed to Red Wells. Ciere wasn’t there when we arrived, but we got in line and ordered our food. As we sat down there was a homeless lady in the restaurant drinking a cup of coffee. She had cut off pants, a very thin coat, and torn up shoes. Her legs were so red from the cold that it broke my heart. She also had the facial appearance that she had been injured in a serious fire with several scars and they were severe old scars. Ciera arrived and got in line to order her food and Jamie and I started to eat. I heard the homeless lady ask the cashier how much a soda was and she was told $1. Shen then went over to 3 older couples (probably in their 80s) that were sitting next to each other and asked them if she could have $1. They looked at her with the meanest, most disgusted looks, and the one gentleman told her “GET OUT OF HERE!”. My heart sunk. If you could have seen her face as she walked away. I was crushed for her. She sat down in front of us and picked up her coffee cup. I said “Ma’m would you like something to eat”. She didn’t hear me. “I whispered it a little louder “Ma’m would you like something to eat”. She still didn’t hear me, but the one worker wiping off the table heard and said “Ma’m she is asking you something”. She looked over at us and I said “Are you hungry, do you want something to eat.” She said “REALLY?”. I said “Yes, c’mon let’s go get something”. She just kept saying, thank you, thank you, thank you. She had the strongest odor of urine about her and smelled like she had not been able to shower for weeks. Her hands were so red from the cold and I just stood there praying and asking God if I needed to do anything else. I just knew the Holy Spirit was moving me. Because of her facial deformities, it was harder to understand her. We got in line and got her food. At the end of the line was pie and I asked her if she would like a piece. She smiled so big and said “I like Cherry Pie.”. She picked one up and began to cry and said “Thank you M’am”. Well, I picked up a second one for her LOL!! She carried her tray and sat in front of us again and was just devouring the food. It was so sad to see someone so hungry that she couldn’t get the food in her mouth fast enough. As she sat there I just sobbed. My heart hurt so bad for her. I can still see her legs, they were so red. She was so cold and she kept looking over at our table and smiling at us. She had a terrible cough and I just kept praying. She left and my daughter, Ciera, Jamie, and I just sat there . . dumbfounded. About 5 minutes after she left a middle-aged gentleman, appeared to be a businessman all dressed up, walked by our table and said “You just made my day. . thank you for allowing me to witness what I just did. . thank you so much for feeding her!” He could barely talk as he was all choked up. I just said “All for the glory of God”. Then another gentleman walked up and said “Thank you so much for feeding her. . have a blessed weekend”. So the moral of the story is this. I am not telling you to boast about what I did today, but I am telling you so as you go through your day be mindful of your surroundings. Be mindful of the people around you. Before you start your day, ask God who would you have me bless today. Who would you have me help today. Put hurting people in my path and let me share my LOVE, HOPE, AND JOY with them. This is something Jamie and I have become very deliberate about in our daily prayer time. I know it was no coincidence that we ended up at Red Wells Today. I know it is no coincidence that those two gentleman were there, and I know it was no coincidence that my new friend, whom I never found out her name was there. I know I was right where God wanted me to be. All I could think about was Matthew 25:40. . . Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sister of mine, you did for me. How could I not feed her? How could I ignore what was right in front of me? I don’t know the story of either gentleman, maybe they are believers, maybe they are not, maybe this act of kindness will challenge them. I don’t know, all I know is I did it in the most discrete way possible, took her up there quietly, but God had them witness it. Why? I will never know, but I know this woman touched my life so much today. When we got in the van, Jamie said, the Holy Spirit was in the “house” today!! He said I felt the nudging too to help her. He said I was thinking what did we have in the van to help her, a coat, etc. We had nothing. He said her legs were so brutally red from the cold and it is not even bitter cold yet. We sat in the parking lot and held each other cried and prayed for this woman. Jamie then said “How do you think those couples will respond when God says “why didn’t you feed me, why didn’t you clothe me? Why did you turn me away?” We all are accountable for our actions and in God’s family we all matter. . that includes the drug addicts, the homeless, the widows, the lost. . . we ALL were created in God’s image. . God doesn’t make junk. So the next time we look at someone and think we are better than then, we may want to open our Bibles and see we are ALL created in his image. We all have baggage. You could tell that this lady had a rough life, she probably had mental illness, but you know what I felt a love for her like no other. I felt an unconditional bond that I just wanted to hug her and feed her and give her warmth. I wanted her to feel LOVE. I wanted her to feel HOPE and know there is HOPE in God. I don’t know if I will ever see her again, but I know that I will never stop praying for her. My heart is so sad as I think of her, but I know she at least had a hot meal today and not just 1 BUT 2 pieces of cherry pie, HER FAVORITE PIE!! I know that God used me today and I am so thankful he placed her in my life. Jamie and I are going to get some blankets, pants, socks, and mittens to put in the van now so the next time we are more prepared. Again, I am not telling you this to boast about what we did, because actually what we did was nothing, because all the glory goes to God, but I am telling you this, so we all take more time to be mindful of others around us and be sure to be the IMAGE of Christ to ALL PEOPLE. . . Let’s start today and make a difference. Let’s be the change that we want to see in this world. Let’s fill this world up with LOVE, an unconditional love that only comes from God!! If you haven’t been told yet by anyone today, please know you ALL matter to me and I love you guys more than you will ever know!! Thanks for letting me share!

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