So in yesterday’s Words for the Day I included a photo of a man taking off his shoes and giving them to a lady who was dressed shabbily and appeared to be homeless. I was driving my car to a restaurant last night and not really paying attention to what I was doing when I saw a police car. I looked down at my speedometer and gulped. I was going far too fast for that little country road
I tell you.
Sure enough the police officer turned around and pulled me over. He told me I had been driving 75 in a 55 zone. Ugh! He asked if I was in a hurry and I told him no and I put up no defense and in fact humbly apologized for not paying attention. He took my license and registration and went back to his car. In a few moments he came back and told me he was going to give me a warning and then said a ticket would have cost $276 and I would have received four points against my driving record.
Wow! I was deeply appreciative and told him so. I apologized again and left. I went to the restaurant marveling at my good fortune. As I returned home I saw what appeared to be a homeless girl walking down the street with no shoes on. I could not believe it. My wife told me she had seen her in Madison which was some 20 miles away earlier that afternoon and guessed she had walked that entire distance barefooted. It was getting cold and I felt very sorry for this person and said that I couldn’t imagine someone walking that amount of distance barefoot, and being so poor as to not even own a pair of shoes.
I thought of yesterday’s post and that perhaps God had put this person in my path for a reason and without hesitation said, “Well I’m going to give her some shoes.” My wife told me she had several pairs and my sister-in-law also chimed in that she had a pair. Fortunately I wasn’t far from home, and I pulled in to drop them off and pick up the shoes. They each put shoes and socks and other items into a bag and I put bottled water and some money in there as well in order that she might buy a hot meal.
By this time, it was pitch black dark. My in-laws and wife were worried about approaching her and feared she might be armed or something. I was adamant that I was going to give her some shoes no matter what.
I dropped them off and headed back to the point I’d last seen her. As I drove by my plantation mangers house I saw him standing outside. I asked if he would like to go with me and he hopped into my car.
I was afraid she might just go off the side of the road and lay down and go to sleep until daylight, (something that I had done many times when hitch-hiking cross country in my youth.) Suddenly I saw her and marveled at my luck, she was still walking down the road in the pitch-black darkness. I turned around and came back to where she was and pulled over to give her the bag full of goodies.
Now it got interesting. When I lowered the window, I had a big shock, she was a he! The homeless person was a tall skinny guy with long hair that looked just like a girl except for his mustache. It didn’t matter to me, but I was thinking I would need to go back and get him some of my shoes as the women’s shoes would be too small for his large feet. After telling him that when I passed him earlier and had noticed that he didn’t have shoes on that I’d gone home to get him some.
He looked at me with a smile and remarked that I should not worry, he had some shoes with him and had just decided to walk barefoot. He thanked me, but told me he had everything he needed. Incredulous my manager asked him, “So, you are doing this deliberately just because you want to?” He responded “Yes.” We looked at each other and said, “Cool” and pulled away.
Hmmm . . . I happened to notice that I was very close to the place that police officer had showed me kindness earlier. As I drove home I thought about Jesus bringing his kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Though I could not help the individual at least the thought was there. Two people allowing some kindness to flow to other people occurred on a small country road with no one watching save God and us.
There is however still much work to be done. This morning the major headline on the Fox News website is:
“POSSIBLE HATE CRIME? Captors livestream beating of disabled man as onlooker slams Trump, whites”
The article begins by saying: “Chicago police were questioning four African-Americans Wednesday evening over a Facebook Live video that showed a mentally disabled white man being tied up and tortured while someone yelled ‘F— white people!” and “F— Donald Trump!’
Investigators said late Wednesday that the victim was a classmate of one of the suspects, and added that he was held in the apartment for at least 24 hours, possibly as long as 48 hours. Authorities say the victim, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, was kept tied up with his mouth taped shut in an apartment on the city’s west side. The video shows the victim being repeatedly kicked and hit, while his scalp was cut. At one point in the video, the victim was held at knife point and told to curse President-elect Donald Trump. The group also forced the victim to drink water from a toilet. The suspects can also be heard saying they want the video to go viral.
Amos 5:14 states that we should: Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate!
Why did these people do such a thing to another human being? There is evil in this world, but fortunately in Jesus there is light. God tells us through Jeremiah that we cannot understand it. The bottom line is that without Jesus there can be no light in this world please join me in praying that these lost individuals lose their hate in the love of Jesus before they face their appointment with our Holy God at judgment.
Jeremiah 17:10
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds . . .
January 5 2017 – Click here to listen