I met a homeless man yesterday. His name was Shane and his teeth were tinted yellow. He was holding a cigarette in one hand and asking any nice-looking person who passed by for money to buy food.
We grow up in a culture that trains us to be paranoid of anyone living on the streets. "Oh, he'll just use the money for drugs," we convince ourselves. "He's probably just lying anyway." I know that those were the thoughts running through my head as I walked past him with my head turned the other way.
It took me about 3 seconds to feel a nudge on my heart (the nudges I live for). And even though I was terrified and worried about what Shane the Homeless Man could possibly do to my lovely roommate and I, we still turned around, apologized, and introduced ourselves to him. He was a pretty nice guy, too. You might see him on the corner outside of the CVS just down the street.
Shane gained five dollars from me yesterday. But, as cliche as it might sound, I feel like I'm the one who benefitted more from our encounter.
I'm not entirely sure of who I am yet. That's why I came to college; in this safe and God-controlled environment, I have all the time in the world to settle on my hopes and fears. The only thing that my heart is absoultely set on right now is living my life completely and willingly for God. And every day that's becoming easier for me to do.
That's who I am right now.
2 comments:
This story speaks truth about your life...i have seen you so many times striving to live correct...a good...God-filled life...and i've seen you fail and succeed...but its in both times that i've seen you grow...this is played out in your life so well...a desire to be "nudged" by God and to change the world...or at least the world you live...simply by living boldly and out loud...
omg..I love you.
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