He gets it.

This entry was posted by KK on Sunday, 16 January, 2011 at

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A celebrity, someone who does not even associate his greater good with the “church” but merely as a fellow human being, gets it. He gets what we as Christians should all get…that where a person lives should not decide whether they are allowed to live.

Over the holidays my family and I were in town running some errands and ended up at a gas station in Knoxville filling up our tank. I noticed a man squatting beside the gas station smoking a cigarette and it was very evident that this man was homeless. My heart ached for this man. It was so cold outside and everyone coming and going through this store were just in a hurry to grab a drink or a snack and fill up their tank so they could get on with their holiday shopping. I reached into my pocket and grabbed all the cash I had (which was only about nine dollars, I think) and turned around to Lake and asked him if he would like to go and bless the man with the money. He hesitated which is unusual for him. Then he said, “One time, XXXX said that they once gave some money to a homeless person and then watched that person walk into a beer store and he bought beer with the money so I don’t think we should give him this money because what if he just buys bad stuff with it?” Oh my. What a perfect opportunity for a lesson. I was SO happy!

First of all, XXXX is someone we are related to who claims to be a Christian. Secondly, yes…maybe he WILL go buy bad stuff with the money but this doesn’t mean we should not bless him or anyone else under the assumption that IS what they will do with it! How will anyone ever spread the love of Christ if this is the assumption they base their charity on? After several minutes of explaining to Lake that this is not what Jesus would do because he did not judge and always helped those who needed help the most, his heart was changed. I regret that family member spoke words like that to him which obviously stuck in his little mind and heart like glue but I am so thankful we had an opportunity to correct that grave misconception. Our little River (age 5) spoke up moments later and asked if he could take the money to the man. Jason watched him as he finished at the pump walk into the store and hand the money to the man. River said to him “Jesus loves you” and the man was amazed and gave River a hug and he hugged the man back. I was so proud of my little man and when he returned to the truck we all said a prayer for that man.

The following day I read this:

“Did Jesus put conditions on the help he offered? A familiar story elbowed it’s way past my hesitancy. A story of Jesus helping a woman caught in adultery. Jesus didn’t refuse to help the woman because she might sin again. He forgave her and told her to sin no more. She was worth the risk. She was worth helping.”


Thank God He has always found ME worth the risk and worth helping, too! It isn’t our place to judge anyone or ask how they ended up in the situation they are in or why they are addicted to drugs or how they were infected with HIV…does it matter? Should it change our response to their cry for help? God says it shouldn’t and mandates that we care for them no matter their circumstances.

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