Trash can dignity...

It was the end of 2002. I was home for the holidays visiting my parents and I went into the city (the only city you refer to as "the city" in northern New Jersey...New York) with a friend.

We had a fun day just wandering around, taking in the sights, oohing and aahing over the Christmas decorations.

We were in Penn Station waiting for the train to take us back to my parents house. We were just standing there chatting and both happened to see this...

An older man, probably homeless, was going through a trash can. He was holding a cup or can that had liquid in it. A group of teenage boys walked by and one of them hit the cup so that it splashed on the man and got him wet. The boys continued on their way laughing. The man looked up and saw my friend and I watching him -he calmly said, "that wasn't very nice." We shook our heads saying, "you're right, that was not nice of them." And that was it.

On a somewhat regular basis I cry myself to sleep thinking about that man....and write this through tears as I think about him. I am sad that he didn't have a table to sit at and sad that I don't know what happened to him. And I am deeply grieved that my compassion for him stopped at a kind look. How I wish I could do it over...walk up and put my hand on his shoulder and tell him I'm sorry that those boys were so rude and thoughtless...maybe have a meal and get to know him a bit - take the opportunity to affirm his dignity and reflect to him the Gospel love of Christ. (And maybe give those rude boys a piece of my mind for being jerks - but I digress...)

I am so excited about World Orphans model of caring for orphans around the world by connecting churches here with churches there, supporting and equipping the local church around the world. I firmly believe in the model and am honored that I get to work hard to see that it played out.

But the face of that sweet man that I can see so clearly in my mind implores me that it can't stop there. Praise God that our hearts break for orphans around the world, and praise Him that we can be involved in what He's doing to care for them. And I pray that our hearts will also break for the broken and the hurting that we see as we're out and about - as we go to the store, coming home from work, taking the kids to the park...

Lord give us eyes to see and give us boldness to respond to what your Spirit wells up in our hearts...may the Gospel be reflected in our lives.