I walked out of my apartment this morning and groaned as I was met by a nasty, cold wind. I walked 20 feet to my car and then later from my car into work. THAT was enough of the cold for me.
Not that they have really left my mind at all, but I couldn't help but think about the people we met yesterday. How could I not? Here I was complaining about the cold with my warm coat and car that was already warm thanks to auto-start...and not far from me, there are people who have to deal with this all day.
Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what we saw yesterday. I really THOUGHT I was. Never did I realize just how bad it was going to be. We made 100 bags with food and other items...and they were gone within no time at all. As soon as people started realizing what we had, they flocked around us asking for bags. It wasn't just men either....women, children, elderly, and the disabled all NEEDING those sandwiches we were handing out.
We don't truly know what the definition of "heartbreaking" is, until we see God's children struggling for the necessities to survive.
Did ya really get that? Struggling for the necessities to survive. Just forget about the extras. I mean, my sister gave a hand-made pink blanket to a very old, frail woman. This lady lit up. She kept talking about how beautiful this blanket made her feel and how she hadn't had something that lovely in ages.
A blanket. A simple blanket.
A million thoughts and questions have been going through my mind the last 24 hours. How did I not know about this? How is this happening? How are we ALLOWING this to happen? Are we not called to help one another?
And finally...
What can I do to make a difference?
People, just because we go about our daily lives and pretend like everything is okay, doesn't mean it is. While we stress over the petty and material things in life, there are people right down the road from us who NEED HELP. I mean, I think of all the money people spend on Christmas gifts for their families, friends, coworkers, etc. that eventually are just going to be tossed aside. That money could be going towards a bus ticket to help a man get to his out of town family and off the streets. For many people on the streets, that is literally all it would take.
How can we WANT so much when there is such a NEED? These are real, live people! They have real thoughts and real fears and real needs. They are just as much God's children as you and me. And yet, we disregard them. MAYBE give a couple bucks to a man playing the guitar down by the Scottrade Center...MAYBE some spare change to the person holding a sign at an intersection. And we feel good about ourselves, don't we?
What if there was something we could really do?
Well guess what....there IS. God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He wants us OUT of our comfort zone and where He wants us to be. Living in our little bubbles doesn't do anyone any good. Stop sitting on your butt and do something worth while in this life. You aren't going to be rewarded for getting to the highest level of Candy Crush possible or having the most fashionable clothes of all your friends. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, my friends. Stop waiting for an opportunity to make a difference and start doing.
I double dare you to go with us the next time we go downtown. If you could leave there without feeling SOMETHING, you need help haha.
God knew what He was doing when he laid it on my heart a month ago to help the homeless on December 22nd. He knew what He was doing when He made our path cross with another group called Homeless Revolution. I talked quite a bit with the founder of the group today and oh my goodness. What an awesome guy! Their group not only brings the homeless necessities, but they take the time to get to know these people and try and figure out how to get them off the streets. Whoa! I hope to learn a lot more from this guy and hopefully start helping some of these people.
Are you in?
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