Would You Help? Part 1 of 3

Matthew 10:8 ...Freely you have received, freely give.

Sunday afternoon, after picking Lisa up from work, I took her to The Fresh Market to buy something special for dinner. I went into the store, she rested, and picked out prepaired chicken cordon bleu, some sweet Italian sausage, some ground chuck, and some fresh angel hair pasta. I finished my purchase and went to the car. Lisa was curious as to what I'd purchased, but I wanted to surprise her. We headed home.

As we neared the intersection close to our home we noticed a man standing on the corner with a sign that said: " STRANDED, HUNGRY, trying to get HOME". At the time I was not paying that much attention...I was driving; but Lisa made eye contact with him and as we rounded the corner she said to me "That man needs food, did you see him"?

I pulled in, ready to offer him a hamburger from some fast food place, when out of my mouth came "Hey, I'm getting ready to make a nice dinner. Would you like to join us?" He was speechless, he looked at me like I was insane. I said that we would have more than we could eat, we'd have leftovers, and that we probably would wind up throwing them away in a couple of days. So he got in the car.

He said his name was Michael and that he had been working as a house framer in Charlotte when the market went dry. That he was trying to go home to Florida to his mother's home until he could get back on his feet.

When we arrived at home Lisa asked Mike if he'd like to take a shower to freshen up. He was quite dirty. He accepted and while he was cleaning up she went to our bedroom to get some clothes for him that we were getting ready to take to Goodwill. She gave him a tee shirt and a hoodie and a new toothbrush.

My son came over, he's 15 and lives with his mom, and he noticed that Mike's pants were torn. Adam had just gotten a pair of jeans for his birthday that were too big for his waist (a perfect fit for Mike) and went home to get them for our guest.

We sat down to dinner and Mike asked if he could talk to us about his friend. He said Jesus is the best friend I've ever had. He has kept me safe. He helped me find a dry place to sleep. Jesus introduced me to you. He went on to tell us that 13 years ago he had been in a traffic accident that put him in the hospital for 6 months. He was in a coma for 28 days. That the left side of his brain is 90% dead and that he had to learn how to walk, talk, use both hands, and that Jesus helped him recover.

After dinner he looked around our living room and told us how blessed we are to have such nice things. He thanked us for taking him into our home, for the wonderful fellowship, and the wonderful food (he had three helpings). We sat on the back porch and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes with several used cigarettes inside. He asked if it was ok to smoke and we didn't mind.

We offered Mike a bed for the night, as it was beginning to rain, but he refused. He said that he had made a commitment to a man to help with some landscaping. That he had to meet him early in the morning and couldn't afford to miss the appointment. I respected that about Mike.

Before we got up to take Mike to his spot I noticed his shoes. They were worn out on the soles and were ready for tossing out. I went to my closet and found a pair of sneakers to give him. He was grateful for the shoes and asked for a plastic bag so that he could protect them from the elements.

I gave Mike our number and $10 to buy some breakfast. He reluctantly took the money but I wanted him to have it. I took him home. He lived buy some railroad tracks down the hill behind an elementary school. He assured me that it really wasn't that bad. He'd made a dry camp and was protected by Jesus.

I prayed for Mike before he left and as he walked away I wondered if I'd ever see him again. I cried as he made his way through the thicket to his camp.

How often do we help others? How much food do we waste? How often do we tell ourselves "I wish I could help"? Remember this, God gives us everything we have, it's really not ours to keep, and Jesus instructs us to do good things. Would you?