All I Have

We are pulled over in the DQ parking lot, savoring a little evening treat, a DQ  sundae with delicious red cherry sauce dripping over the white swirled ice cream, a spur of the moment decision on our way home after a church meeting.

 I can't help but notice a  man with a scruffy beard sitting cross legged on the ground, a dilapidated canvas backpack next to him. No shirt, and a cardboard sign propped up  with the words  scrawled  in thick capital letters: HOMELESS. He's focused on juggling three small balls. 

I look at my ice cream, an indulgence, something purchased without a second thought. I look at him. I can't help it, he's right there. Our car is facing him across the lot, not really that far away. 

Do I look away and pretend he's not there? This I have done more often than not. 

"I'm going to see if I have any cash." I say to my husband as I set down my treat and shuffle through my purse to access my wallet. Yes, I have some. Just then I notice a young woman walking by who holds out her hand to the young man. He smiles at her as he receives her gift. 

I ask Dave to pull up to the space near where the  man (in his 20's? 30's? I don't really know)  sits. I exit the car and walk up to him and bend down. I ask him his name. Daniel. He looks so young. And so old.

 I hold out my hand and offer him the cash. He responds with a hearty 'Thank you!" 

Suddenly the words come out of my mouth. "May I pray for you?" 

"Oh, yes! Please do!" he says. 

My prayer is short and fumbly. I say Amen.

 "Christians are the kindest people", he says to me. "Do you have a Bible? I used to carry one in here". He points to a small pouch on the side of his backpack. 

I so wish I had one to give him, but I tell him I don't. I used to have a Gideon NT I which I kept in the car, but I took it out a while back. 

"God bless you", I say as I head back into the car. 

Then I see it in a cubby below the dashboard. An old paperback book Kept for the Master's Use which I had recently picked up on a giveaway table and had begun reading in snippets. It's based on the hymn Take My Life and Let it Be, which I loved as a young person. It's the hymn that was sung at our wedding over 40 years ago. 

The book is all I have to give. Will it be relevant? Will he understand it? Only God knows. 

I quickly return to him, show him the book, and say "This is all I have, but you are welcome to it".  

"What is it about?" he asks, as he looks at the cover. 

I explain it briefly and I tell him I hope it encourages him. "You are loved" I say. 

He smiles and thanks me. I smile back.

I head back to the car. 

I pick up my sundae and dip in for another bite, as we head home. 

Peace on Earth

Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards all people! 

The angels concluded their message, proclaiming to an ordinary band of lowly shepherds, certainly no pillars in their community. They were just simple people doing the work necessary to keep their families fed. After seeing the Christ child, as the angels had said, they excitedly spread the word they had been told. "And all those who heard it marveled at those things the shepherds shared." Luke 2:18 

God uses the most unlikely people to bring the message of peace to the world. 

I feel unequipped for the task of bringing peace to the world, failing many times. Often I'm tempted to focus on my  own wants and needs. Often I lack confidence. Sometimes the pain I see in this world is simply too much, and I want to hide. Do you feel the same?  How, then, do we help to usher in peace and goodwill? 

Peace on earth, I must remind myself, is not conditional upon what is or isn't happening 'out there'  but it is based on a Person. Jesus brings peace to our world, in the middle of the mess. He brings it by changing our hearts one bit at a time. And then we must bravely join in the work of making change. One small step at a time, often beginning with the person in front of us.  

I recently had a conversation with two of my coworkers. For some reason, we had a really deep, meaningful conversation about life, and I, praying that God would give me the words to say that would matter, shared something I had learned in my life. "When you said that, I had goosebumps all over! I don't know why! That really hit me!", one of them responded.  I was as surprised as her, but I believe it was the Spirit of God touching her the way only He can. He is the one who changes lives. I keep praying for her, one who has been so beaten down by life.  

The spirit of Christmas gives us a voice to cry "Good will to men, and Peace on earth", making it so much more than just a sweet sentiment and a shallow hope. 

Good will, or Peace on Earth, this is an act of rebellion, a full forced movement against the effects of the fall. It is not blind faith nor is it childish rhetoric. It is holy wisdom and it is as out of place as a host of angels hovering over a band of shepherds.

 (from Peace is Here: Christmas Reflections, by Jars of Clay)

May we all remember whose we are this Christmas, and respond to the little (and big) nudges the Spirit gives us, joining in the movement of bringing the peace of Jesus to our world. 

Photo by Tom Hill on Unsplash