Have you seen the homeless?

Have you seen the homeless?

No, I mean SEEN them?

Have you looked into their eyes?

Smiled?

Said "hello"?

Or....

do you look the other way?

Pretend not to see them?

Busy yourself in a conversation?

My husband and I just returned from a trip to San Diego. We had a wonderful time, just the two of us. I had been looking forward to spending some time alone while he attended work meetings. So…..on the first morning of our trip, I went out for a run and to explore the downtown a bit. What I saw surprised and appalled me.
People waking up and beginning their day…..
from a park bench…..
from a makeshift cardboard “tent”….
Now, I am not a stranger to homeless people. We frequently visit Chicago and are familiar with “street people.” But, somehow, seeing them during this trip affected me like never before. Maybe it was the sheer quantity I saw. There were both men and women. I saw every race- white, black, and Asian among the hurting. I saw both young and old. The image of a tall, beautiful woman looking at her reflection in a glass building as she cleaned her face with her hands and saliva will be etched in my mind forever. What struck me, and broke my heart was that all of the people carried something. Some, like the man above, carried grocery bags full of their belongings. Others had black garbage bags stuffed with their life’s possessions. And, some pushed around carts or luggage full of their “stuff.”


I couldn’t even fathom being able to fit all of my belongings- my life- into a cart that I pushed around all day. What unnerved me was witnessing people, human beings rummage through garbage cans looking for food…..
My heart broke for the people I saw that morning. But, the tipping point came when I stopped at Starbuck’s for a tea before heading back to the hotel. As I waited in line, holding back tears and silently praying, a very thin man, about my age, ran in the store, pulled out a discarded half eaten muffin out of the garbage, ran out of the store and ate it. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The first thing I did was buy the man a breakfast sandwich and gave it to him.
When I got back to my room, I wept and prayed. I knew I had to do more than just buy someone a sandwich.
I have been reading a life-changing book, Not a Fan. It is about being a FOLLOWER of Jesus, not just a “FAN”- living out a life of faith instead of just talking about it. The book challenges us, as Believers to die to self and live for Christ, following Him wherever He would take us. As I cried out to God that morning, I told Him I wanted to LIVE what I was reading- I wanted it to make a difference in my life! I couldn’t go have a manicure or lie by the pool- I had to live out my faith and DO SOMETHING!
As I prayed in the shower, a thought came to me to spend my day with the homeless.
So, I went to Subway and bought a small stack of gift cards. After praying about what to write in each one, I filled them with messages of hope and love, telling the person reading how much God loves them and how precious they are. On some, I felt led to tell them that God knows their name.
I went back to Starbuck’s, found a table outside and prayed that God would bring people to me and that He would give me strength to do this thing that was REALLY out of my comfort zone. Fear gripped me. What if someone would get violent or yell at me? What if someone started calling me a hypocrite or self-righteous or something? What if I was embarrassed? I couldn’t believe my fears! Here were people rooting through garbage and I WAS WORRIED ABOUT BEING EMBARRASSED????????
I was surprised at how nervous I was. My heart raced. My hands were shaking. I knew I needed to just DO IT. So, when a man approached a garbage can to go through it, I approached him and gave him the card, telling him what it was. He looked shocked, but took it. The next man who approached the garbage had a different reaction, though. He refused to take it. His sad eyes broke my heart as he said, “I can’t go in to Subway like this. Look at me.” And he walked away.
Many discouraging thoughts ran through my mind and most encouraged me to quit.
“What are you doing?”
“You are insulting them.”
“You can’t make a difference.”
But, I continued and my stack got smaller. I finished with the last group of four people all sitting against a building together. When I gave them the last of my cards, they were joyful and kept saying “God bless you.” Here is one of the men.

I am ashamed to say I have forgotten this man’s name. I asked him his name and it was like I gave him a million dollars just asking that. He got tears in his eyes when he told me it.
I may have forgotten, but God knows his name.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows…” James 1:27
“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the cords of unjustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7
Lord, may I die daily to myself and follow You wherever You would lead. May I see people the way You see people. Break my heart with what breaks Your heart. Give me strength and courage to do the things that are uncomfortable. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
“Fasting” with you,
Tracy

Urgency

I wrote this in 2008 and am astounded how it still rings true:

 

I have had such a sense of urgency.....a feeling of heaviness on my heart. I have been seeing things with eternal eyes, heart breaking, fearful of time slipping away......

I was speaking to the manager of a Christian radio station and she was painting the picture of the average listener....28 years old, married with one child, goes to church once or twice a month out of a sense of obligation, doesn't have a relationship with Jesus....She shared with me the need to reach this woman, bringing the love and hope of Christ. I have been thinking about her, this listener, so much lately.....

At church this morning, we had an awesome sermon on missions given by Mark Wolter, a missionary to Japan. But, as he finished with a prayer and the verses that the harvest is great, but the workers are few, I again felt such a heaviness. 

Do we care that there is an aching world out there in need of Jesus? Do we pursue this mission...to share Christ? Do we reach our hands out to heal, to feed, to care?

At the pool today, I looked around.....neighbors and friends. Where are they spiritually? Are they saved? Are they like the radio listener who flips between Christian radio and the pop station, not really "buying into" this God thing? Not sure what they believe, simply going to church out of duty and obligation.

Perfect bodies, expensive cars, kids begging for parents to come swim while they are sipping beers, chatting, flirting, gossipping, comparing their latest acquisitions.....time slipping away.

Lord, am I doing all I can for You? Lord, am I obeying Your calling? Lord, my heart breaks for those who are missing You, refusing You, denying You...

I love blogging. I love that God is able to work in me and through me to encourage others. I am so thankful that I am able to encourage other Christian women in their faith.

But, last week, I was feeling like I need to doing more to reach out to the lost....not just encouraging those in the faith (but, like I said, I want to continue to do that! I need encouragement and am thankful for it through blogging), but also reaching out to someone who is not strong in her faith. So, as I surfed around, I visited some new blogs.  I also checked out a blog of a witch. (Yes, your read that correctly) This, too, broke my heart. She wants to help make pagan blogs more popular. She talked about spells. But, she was also a mom with mom struggles. 

It is so sad to see the confusion that is out in the world. There may not be lots of witches in our neighborhoods, but there is a world out there turning to other things~ 

appearance, work and careers, materialism (the latest SUV, flat screen TV, handbag....), an affair, TV......

Lord, I pray for this fallen world. I pray for the lost. I pray for the confused. I pray for the reluctant. I pray for the indifferent. I pray for the hopeless.

I pray for the Church. Give us a heart, a desire to spread Your love, Your Truth, Your hope to this world. Lord give us, give ME a boldness to share Christ with this world. Lord, I want to be a worker in Your harvest. Like Isaiah said, "send me!" Lord, I want You to work through me and in me.

Too busy to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus?

My friend Gina wrote:

"It’s is easy to get caught up in our lives and schedules and think we are too busy to open our lives and homes to others. It’s easy to be committed to our own agenda, even our own families, and never open the door of our homes and lives to others. We can get so caught up in our duties–cleaning our house, making perfect meals, having everything in order…following our own schedules…and never allow people to really know us and what God is doing in our lives."

Boy, is she "right on target" here! So often, Satan loves to distract us with so many details that life whirls by and we MISS OUT on so many blessings of just BEING HERE.

Playing board games with the kids.

Smiling at the Target check out girl. In fact, actually LISTENING to her as she talks about her life...... How many times do we take the time to just LISTEN to the people God crosses our paths with?

Calling Mom.

I am such a firm believer in taking time to quietly LISTEN to God in this area. I believe the Holy Spirit is CONSTANTLY laying names of people in our lives on our hearts and minds......people who need to be encouraged in the faith. We never know what a difference one small phone call, email, or visit will make in someone else's life.

Sometimes we get so worried that reaching out will take too much of our precious time.....sometimes we are so saturated with activity that we don't even realize God is calling us to reach out to someone.


Thank You, Jesus for Your Body! May I be a HEALTHY, strong, vibrant, loving part of it! May I be "the hands and feet" of Jesus to all those around me!

REMEMBER?

Have you ever taken the time to ponder all that God has done in your life? Have you thought about how God has been there all along, watching over you, weaving the threads of your life circumstances into a beautiful tapestry? Have you thought about years worth of answered prayer?

The people He has placed in your life to help you....guide you....REFINE you?

Memories from childhood.

From turbulent teenage years.

College.

First job.

Kind words spoken to you that encouraged you.

Pain that He used as sandpaper to refine and polish you.

When we take the time to really SEE how God has been there in our lives....

taking time to REMEMBER Him,

we begin to see His Sovereignty.....

His grace....

His goodness.....

His PATIENCE.

Verse 12 goes on to say, "I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds."

I am adopted and understand the miracle of my mother choosing life in me-centered 60's AND placing me in the family where I am.

Wow....what a MIGHTY DEED!

I remember my first boss as a high school senior. I'll never forget the words he spoke to me on yet another day I was taking advantage of my employer, coming in late and not ready for work.

"Tracy, you will not always be able to get away with things just by flashing your pretty smile."

Those words carry so much weight as I understand life and responsibility better today.

God literally SAVING me as I felt the Holy Spirit warning me to flee different situations in college.... One that stands out in my memory is a frat party where I found myself with just one other girl, dressed and dancing provocatively inside a circle of about 20 drunk frat boys. I know God warned me to flee and I did!

A rainbow that was a sign to Brian and I when we were praying about a job change and move.

Yes, Lord, I will take time to remember Your deeds....Your miracles.....Your works in MY life.

What have you been EATING?

There is such POWER in our tongue.....in our words.

Power to encourage....

to love....

to exercise FAITH....

to bless....

to bring LIFE to all those who hear.

BUT also power to...

discourage....

beat down.....

hate.....

doubt....

curse.....

bring DEATH.....

to ourselves and all those who hear our words.

Proverbs tells us that we EAT the fruit of our words.

What have you been eating lately?

Lord, sanctify my mouth! I want my words to bring LIFE to all those who hear them. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.