I was helping my children out of their car seats when he approached me in the parking lot of a busy strip mall. His graying hair hung haphazardly across his forehead, his clothes slightly wrinkled. What struck me most was his nervous demeanor, almost as if he was terrified to say what he was about to ask.
“Excuse me ma’am. I…I just lost my job and as of Monday I’m going to be homeless. I’m trying to sell off some of my things. I’m wondering if you might need a vacuum cleaner?”
His eyes pleaded with me, his feet shuffled a bit, as if he were ready to take off running for fear I might bite him. My heart melted with compassion. I felt my face soften.
“I’m so sorry, sir. While I actually do need a new vacuum, I’m just here in Florida visiting friends, and I don’t think I would be able to take it home on the plane.”
He looked a bit relieved that I didn’t snap at him like an alligator looking for lunch.
“Oh, that’s ok. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
I sought to engage him. “It’s no bother. I hope you can find work soon.”
He heaved a sigh from deep within his soul. “I don’t know if I can. I’ve been a plumber all my life, but no one wants to hire someone in their 50’s. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ll probably have to live out of my car.”
I felt helpless. I nodded towards the pizza place behind me with its sign boasting $5 ready-made pizzas as I said, “I’m headed in to buy some pizzas. I’d like to buy one for you if you’ll eat it.”
His eyes popped open in surprise and his feet started to shuffle again. “Oh, well, you don’t have to do that.”
I smiled. “I know, but I would like to, if you’ll let me.”
He didn’t know what to say. I motioned for him to follow me. My kids grasped each of my hands, miraculously silent and wide-eyed. I walked in and ordered a few ready-made pizzas to take to my friend’s house which is where I had been headed when he stopped me in the parking lot. I asked him which kind he wanted. He looked shocked that I would care. “Umm…pepperoni is fine.”
The cashier rang me up with a curious stare. While we waited for the pizzas, the gentleman excused himself, and stepped outside for a moment. He paced back and forth on the sidewalk, then came back inside.
The cashier handed me a stack of pizzas. The gentleman stepped forward, “Please, let me carry them for you.” I smiled. He followed me and the kids back to the car. I took the remainder of the pizzas and wished him well.
“I hope you are able to find a job soon. I’ll be praying for you,” I said. It sounded lame to my ears, but I sincerely meant it.
“Thank you much, ma’am. Thank you for the pizza, and I will eat the leftovers for breakfast,” he said with a sincere smile.
“God bless you, sir.” He started to walk away and I helped the kids finish buckling up.
We watched him get into his car filled to the roof with household belongings and drive off. I felt a lump in the back of my throat. I knew I’d never see him again. I prayed that God would bring people into His life that could help him get back on his feet. I prayed that I would be just one in a line of people who would show him love and a path to God.
**Visit the (in)courage blog and read the post “Love is a Verb” as well as the other posts linked about Love in Action. Happy Valentines Day to you all! Hope you had a blessed day and were able to show God’s love to those around you.
That’s some beautiful “Jesus Love”, Amelia! I think we all need to be more compassionate toward the homeless (or near homeless). It’s so easy to dismiss them as irresponsible or dangerous. Really, they are broken and hurting people. And Jesus would want us to feed them, visit them, encourage them…I think He said something like that once.
Great post.
There wasn’t a day that went by in Florida that we didn’t see at least one homeless person. I so often felt just helpless. A group of churches in the area banded together and started a great meals program, lots of people showing lots of love.
This time of year I’m always concerned for those on the streets in GR. I can’t even imagine having to sleep outside in this freezing cold.
About 5 years ago a man came up to us in the parking lot at the mall and said he needed bus fare to get downtown. From his demeanor my gut screamed out at me that he was just panhandling, using anything as an excuse to give him money.
Knowing that, I gave him $5 anyway. I told him we’d pray for him, and I prayed that God would grab his heart and hang on.
My kids asked me why I gave that man money, and I told them that he needed it for something, and that I had given him God’s money, and God would take care of the situation.
Then I turned loose on that man the most powerful weapon I know of. I asked my little girls to pray for him.
Every single night since then my eldest has prayed that the Mall Man would find Jesus. My youngest doesn’t remember it very well, but she still prays for him once in a while too.
Every night for years a sweet child prays for that man to find Jesus.
I still think of the man that asked us for money for food and Dave and I had decided not to give money to homeless people unless we felt called. So, we told the man that we would be happy to buy him food from Subway or the grocery store down the street. The man surprisingly took us up on our offer. We sat down with him as he had a footlong and talked to him about life. He packaged up the other 6 inches of the footlong and we asked him if he needed to pick up anymore food. The man said, no – that the other half of the sub would be his meal for tomorrow and then he told us that he would pray that we would be blessed for our generosity. That was quite humbling!! I still remember what he looked like, his name, and his gentle kindess. When he left the resteraunt we tried to find him and he was no where to be seen. I then thought about the verse in Hebrews
13:1-2, “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it,” it leterally sent chills down my spine and still does to this day. I am not sure if this man was an angel or not – but his presence sure led me to beleive he could have been. We have been greatly impacted by this man and owe him a HUGE thanks.
Oh, Topher and Holly, thank you so much for sharing your stories. They both gave me chills. Tis truly better to give than receive. And Topher, only God knows how much your girls’ prayers have meant in that man’s life!