The Story of a street beggar
I pulled up to the gas station to fill up my tank. Not wanting to be bothered, I paid at the pump hoping to get in and out quickly. My hopes turned to bitterness as I saw him approach from the right side. I already knew the drill; he was going to ask me for money or food, or both.
My prediction came true. He approached me in a subtle manner with despair in his eyes. He was barely able to look at me.
“Sir, I know you think I am going to ask you for money,” he said. “But what I truly want is to ask for your prayers.”
He then turned and walked away. Nice approach young man, I thought to myself. I was thankful that I had dodged the bullet. I got into my car and drove away.
I could not get that scene out of my mind. Why didn’t he just ask for a dollar, a bag of chips, or anything but a prayer? Was this a mind game someone was playing on me? His request consumed me to the point that I had to go back to find him and ask him why he did what he did.
To my surprise, I did see him walking a few buildings down the street. I stopped my car and ran towards him. Once I caught up to him I asked, “Do you remember me?”
His reply surprised me even more.
“Of course I do,” he said. “You were the lost soul in the car yesterday that I asked for your prayers.”
Now I was stunned almost to silence. Yet the conversation continued.
“I thought you were looking for money or food,” I said. “Or maybe you were just trying a new approach. I mean you are a street beggar right?”
“No sir, I am not a street beggar,” he responded. “I am a street minister. I walk these streets hours per day looking for lost souls just like you and I ask them for their prayers each time. My hope is that they can see how hard their hearts have become and they will once again allow Christ to live within them. You sir, were cold and callous. I could feel that your heart had grown weary to the world in which you live. I also sir could see in your eyes that there was more in you than you were letting out. You sir had become a prisoner to Satan and had lost sight of God. “ Then he recalled a scripture passage I had long forgotten.
When you read Luke 7, you will see the story of Jesus in the house of Simon. The lady who is a sinner walks in and begins to wash Jesus’s feet with her tears and wipes them dry with her hair.
Simon rebukes Jesus saying,” Do you not know this woman is a sinner?
Jesus in reply said, “Simon do you not see the woman?”
“Sir you have lost sight of the humanity in the world,” he told me. “I am sure when I approached you already had in your mind what I was going to do. You see my friend you did not see me, the person, the child of God. All you saw was a sinner and a street beggar.”
“Jesus has restored your vision,” he continued, “Now you see where you were blind. I am going to challenge you to see the world as it is, not as you thought it was. See Christ in everyone and believe that through you, miracles can happen. Your hope is alive and your dreams can now be renewed.”
With that, he turned and walked on. I had tears welling up in my eyes, yet I almost felt as though the weight of the world was now gone. I wanted to go out and shout to the world, “Hope is alive!”
May God’s peace and grace be with you always
Dale Childress
dchildress@livinadream.com
My prediction came true. He approached me in a subtle manner with despair in his eyes. He was barely able to look at me.
“Sir, I know you think I am going to ask you for money,” he said. “But what I truly want is to ask for your prayers.”
He then turned and walked away. Nice approach young man, I thought to myself. I was thankful that I had dodged the bullet. I got into my car and drove away.
I could not get that scene out of my mind. Why didn’t he just ask for a dollar, a bag of chips, or anything but a prayer? Was this a mind game someone was playing on me? His request consumed me to the point that I had to go back to find him and ask him why he did what he did.
To my surprise, I did see him walking a few buildings down the street. I stopped my car and ran towards him. Once I caught up to him I asked, “Do you remember me?”
His reply surprised me even more.
“Of course I do,” he said. “You were the lost soul in the car yesterday that I asked for your prayers.”
Now I was stunned almost to silence. Yet the conversation continued.
“I thought you were looking for money or food,” I said. “Or maybe you were just trying a new approach. I mean you are a street beggar right?”
“No sir, I am not a street beggar,” he responded. “I am a street minister. I walk these streets hours per day looking for lost souls just like you and I ask them for their prayers each time. My hope is that they can see how hard their hearts have become and they will once again allow Christ to live within them. You sir, were cold and callous. I could feel that your heart had grown weary to the world in which you live. I also sir could see in your eyes that there was more in you than you were letting out. You sir had become a prisoner to Satan and had lost sight of God. “ Then he recalled a scripture passage I had long forgotten.
When you read Luke 7, you will see the story of Jesus in the house of Simon. The lady who is a sinner walks in and begins to wash Jesus’s feet with her tears and wipes them dry with her hair.
Simon rebukes Jesus saying,” Do you not know this woman is a sinner?
Jesus in reply said, “Simon do you not see the woman?”
“Sir you have lost sight of the humanity in the world,” he told me. “I am sure when I approached you already had in your mind what I was going to do. You see my friend you did not see me, the person, the child of God. All you saw was a sinner and a street beggar.”
“Jesus has restored your vision,” he continued, “Now you see where you were blind. I am going to challenge you to see the world as it is, not as you thought it was. See Christ in everyone and believe that through you, miracles can happen. Your hope is alive and your dreams can now be renewed.”
With that, he turned and walked on. I had tears welling up in my eyes, yet I almost felt as though the weight of the world was now gone. I wanted to go out and shout to the world, “Hope is alive!”
May God’s peace and grace be with you always
Dale Childress
dchildress@livinadream.com
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