Yesterday morning I was "on and about" with my family to do a little grocery-shopping at Walmart.
I walked ahead and saw a black woman working for The Salvation Army ringing her bell and hoping to get money donations from all the people walking around. (I previously used to shortly work for The Salvation Army during the time I spent living up in Anacortes, Washington with my family; but that's a whole 'nother story. It's in my employment history, though.)
Needless to say, as a "gesture of thought" I felt led to give a small monetary donation into the red kettle that was up front by the doors of the main Walmart entrance and then I looked back from the left side of my head to "acknowledge her" and for her to see I gave a donation and she said something in agreement like "Thanks" and then I met my family inside Walmart after a time and we spent almost an hour inside doing shopping.
...Fast-forward, turns out before I had even walked up to Walmart I have the instinctive Spirit-led mindset of having a "
Jesus Christ LOVES You!" gospel tract directly at my disposal in the left-side pocket of my blue jacket to "whip out" and give to someone I felt led to give to as the opportunity presented itself in public.
So, here's the moment: I'm walking out the Walmart with my family going out ahead of me back to the car with the groceries and I see this young black man (he's not that much older than me I believe; either late twenties or early thirties or something...) out sitting by the side of the Walmart exit door I'm coming out of.
You know those kind of people you see hanging around at stores, right? People we might perceive to be homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, lowlife, etc...
I could say this guy was one of 'em, but can't really be sure. Nor does it matter.
I could say this guy was a "crackhead" and even so, it doesn't matter.
Truth is...
WE ALL JUDGE PEOPLE IN SOCIETY! We just do. It's just "human nature" lol. But it's how we respond with the judgment that counts.
Whether we judge people wrongfully or rightfully, we should at least treat everyone with dignity and respect and treat them like they exist in the world as human-beings. That is what I did in this moment: acknowledged and treated this young black man's existence as a fellow human-being.
Here goes; this same young black man I just saw; I'm thinking he's someone I've seen around town for quite a while sometime either hanging out at this Walmart or the local Dollar Tree across N. Thomas Street. I'm seen someone like him before if he's not the guy I have in memory otherwise.
Either way, it doesn't matter to me; for my main objective was to try to get this man to know
CHRIST before anything else. His spiritual
SALVATION is all that mattered to me.
I handed this young brothah the "
Jesus Christ LOVES You" gospel tract I had in my jacket's pocket by
INSTINCTIVE REFLEX. Didn't have time to "double guess" or "double think" I just
ACTED and whether he would take the tract or not wasn't on me to worry about, but him.
Surprisingly he accepted the folded-up gospel tract I handed him and then looked at it as though maybe hoping it came with some "money" attached lol.
I ain't gonna lie, this guy looked like he was a crackhead or "on some stuff" whatever it might be but he didn't seem like he was wanting to "stop being a crackhead" but sitting by the corner of the Walmart store door panhandling, begging people to give him money to feed his wicked, unhealthy lifestyle habits anytime someone gave him eye contact.
After he received the gospel tract from my hand he started to say quickly, "Change... I need some change" trying to "beg me down" in pity to get me to give him some knowing full-well he's physically healthy looking and seems alright even mentally; he's just wanting me to give him some money to buy drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.
And I was
NOT ever about to "enable" a physically-able, mentally-able, healthy-looking young adult to live his sedentary lifestyle.
The black lady workin' for The Salvation Army and an older Hispanic man turned aside to look behind themselves in "surprise" (looked like that to me at least) as I had gave the young brothah a folded-up gospel tract then walked on about my business; but they could have mistaken it for rolled up "money" dollar bills; which is something I sho' wouldn't give this young brothah out here hustling people for his "drug money". Oh no, no, no my friend... I don't roll like that.
You don't need "change" my brothah; you need to go do like every other responsible, respectable adult in society and go
WORK FOR YO' MONEY, man!
Quit leechin' off of people to feed your unhealthy habits! Get real! Smh...
I'd be more guilty than the crackhead by giving him money to get dope than he would when there's true homeless or poor people around in need really needing the help; not him... He's just taking advantage of people. Not "financial help"; that's not what he needed.
As I type that, what comes to mind is the story of when Peter and John in the Bible when throughout Jerusalem preaching that Jesus was Christ and about the man who was lame from birth above forty years old sitting at the gate of Jerusalem begging for "change"...
_____________________________________
KJV Acts 3:1-11,
1
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2
And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily
at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that
entered into the temple;
3
Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.
8
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,
walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10
And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the
temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had
happened unto him.
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter
and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called
Solomon's, greatly wondering.
_______________________________________
When that young black man uttered "Change... I need change..." he spoke the truth: just not the kind of "change" he meant.
He needed "Real Change" and that "Change" is
*JESUS* whether he would accept Him or not. That's what I gave him.
We
ALL need
"REAL CHANGE" in our lives.
We
ALL need
*JESUS CHRIST*!
Lord Knows, I know so many people throughout my life like this guy that panhandle, live on the streets or live the "lowlife lifestyle" as a way of life to manipulate people into giving them money to fund their drug and various chemical addictions.
I've had even family members and friends say things like "Hey Jed, would you go to the store to buy me a pack of cigarettes?" while me as a Christian knowing cigarettes are not only "unhealthy to the body" but also the spiritual connotation as
SINFUL to
GOD makes me accountable to
NOT "give in" to fulfilling that request because it's
WRONG and I'd be a "guilty accomplice" in making someone worse off health-wise, but most importantly worse off spiritually in contributing to
THEIR SINFUL HABITS...
That's why when people tell me do "help them do a kind of sin with or for them" I've been training myself in these real life situations with people to correctly always say...
*NO*!
Don't ever "help people in their sin". If they do it; it's on them; just don't be an accomplice or you're just as guilty as them
IF NOT MORE.
Yeah, I only hope and pray that young brothah really took the Message of that Christian gospel tract to heart and
REPENTED if he was already unsaved.
Hopefully if he was a believer the gospel tract "reminded him" of God's Presence in his life to turn back to Him.
Either way, I'm still hoping and praying the best for the young man in life whether I see him again in town or not.
May we all keep him and the many people in the world like him in
OUR PRAYERS TO GOD because
GOD LOVES THEM and
THEY ARE OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS OUT THERE TOO.
Even
OUR ENEMIES as Christians we
LOVE. Amen...
~ Sincerely,
Bro. Jed
