“And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
“We’re going out to them!” My husband and I were glad about our decision after feeling as if the Lord was nudging us to consider the needs in our own community (Mark 16:15). Remembering an idea God gave me long ago involving Bibles and bags, we jumped into action!
My two daughters and I visited a local store and eagerly chose plenty of snacks and what we believed to be necessary care items that would benefit those living on the streets. Excited, they filled paper gift sacks, and colored 16 cards, filling each with inspiration and truth.
We were ready!
We traveled the streets of the town we call home and encountered several individuals living there. We spoke to those we could, and left bags in places where they clearly lodged. It was an incredible blessing witnessing the involvement of my children.
My 7-year-old was determined to have a genuine, face-to-face encounter with people and personally hand them a bag. Her running feet matched the pace of her enthusiasm as she discovered areas, void of people but littered with items revealing a possible place someone probably slept. Because she couldn’t share the love of Jesus verbally, given no one was there, she left the only gift she had; a bag full of goodies that would hopefully be enjoyed when someone returned.
Similarly, my 10-year-old adamantly noticed people from miles away. She saw one man sitting on an upside down bucket outside a local laundromat. She was very excited to bless him and gladly led the way to the door, arms full of bags, water, and snacks. They both were fantastic little soldiers.
Following this particular encounter, we observed a young man carefully riding his bike down the street near my daughter’s school. My husband seemed to recognize distress right away, though I honestly would have never suspected anything other than a young man simply enjoying a bike ride. Nonetheless, we abruptly stopped, rolled down the car window, and offered him a bag.
We introduced ourselves and thankfully had the opportunity to pray with him. We learned he had a tumor behind his right eye, so we cursed it in the name of Jesus, declared healing over his body, and believed with him for a miracle (1 Timothy 2:1)! He traveled around town with no place to lay his head, but he was very kind and clearly very cold.
His only request was to eat a hot meal from McDonald’s. Unfortunately, we couldn’t grant him this desire in that moment but would absolutely love to sit with him in a warm place, feed him a filling meal, hear his story, and simply treat him like a person again in the future. Perhaps, we could even offer knitted blankets, hats, gloves, or socks to share too.
This has been such a humbling and incredible experience and I believe only the beginning of what God is doing in this season.
Undeniably, there are several people befriending the streets who desperately need Jesus, and we now call many of them friend. Folks, don’t lose an opportunity to be a beacon of hope to those who may only ever know shelter to be the same street they walk on every day.
I don’t write this story to brag or boast. Instead, I truly hope this testimony not only brings glory to the One who nudged us to consider the needs in our own community, but also encourages you to prayerfully give to those who many often walk by and ignore (Acts 3:2).
Remember, as you bless someone today, what may appear small is really very big when God is the author. We all know struggle, so don’t ever be above. Be beside (Galatians 6:2)