“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)
We sat outside at a coffee shop, Jeff and I, enjoying our drinks on a bright summer morning. Jeff mentioned that he felt prompted by God to help people living on the edge and proceeded to tell me stories about several people whom he had helped.
I said, “That’s wonderful, but I’ve never helped a needy person I’ve met on the street without getting burned.”
He responded, “Just because you’ve been burned doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have helped them.”
Later that day, as I was closing the church building after an evening meeting, a young man I’d never seen before walked through the door. His hair was dirty and his clothes were ragged. I thought, “Oh, please Lord, why now, why me?”
His name was Drew. I listened to his story. He had occasionally attended my church, had spent 18 months in a substance abuse facility, was sentenced to 6 days in jail for a DWI, his prison time was scheduled to begin the next day, he had spent the previous night curled up in a blanket in the woods, and he was surviving on what food he had stolen from convenience stores.
I thought about the conversation I had with Jeff that morning. I gave Drew food and a place to stay for the night. The next morning, I drove him to the train station so he could get to the county jail downtown. As we parted, I encouraged him to look me up when he got out, which he did, but that’s another story.
Lord, it seems that helping others often comes at an inconvenient time. Help me to be okay with this and to freely give myself to strangers in need.
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